Outcast Effect
by The Incredible Muffin
Summary: When the Outcast Blades and their allies attack a top-secret Imperial project, they are unprepared for the consequences. Now, they must survive in a new galaxy, with new friends and enemies alike. Can the Blades show another galaxy that they're the best, or will the Reapers harvest them as well?
1. Assault on the Unknown

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. ONLY MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONG TO ME. IF I OWNED MASS EFFECT, DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D LET THE ENDING STAND?**

**Hi, everyone! I know that it took a while to get started on this, but I had stuff to do, like school, other stories, and writing my own, original book; nothing **_**important**_**, I know. However, I have one important thing to say. While I will describe my characters, you won't have any idea who the hell they really are unless you read my story 'Outcast Blades'. Just go onto my profile and click on it. It's not too long, only 16 chapters, but it's kind of important that you read it first, since you're going to see several characters in this and ask 'what the hell? Why is *insert name here* here?'**

**Aside from that, look forward to action, romance and Council-bashing, though the latter two will be later on.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 1

Assault on the Unknown

The project had all the hallmarks of the Galactic Empire. It was big, incredibly dangerous, and the credits spent on it probably could have paid for an entire fleet of Star Destroyers. To the casual observer, it looked like a massive ring of metal in space, fifty kilometers in diameter, interspersed with antennae and crackling energy.

The Imperial records had code-named the project 'The Highway'. It was a massive undertaking, requiring the very best in engineering, astrophysics and hyperspace-theory. The ring, once activated, could create an artificial wormhole to any point in the galaxy. It would make relying on established hyperspace routes obsolete, and allow whole Imperial fleets to attack anywhere almost instantly.

Unfortunately for the now-fractured Empire, it was never going to work—not because of a technical error or bad planning, but because one of the most dangerous forces in the recently-established New Republic was about to destroy it.

Had they not been in the vacuum of space, the ships of Battlegroup Maverick would have had a vengeful roar coming from their engines as they emerged from hyperspace.

Leading the charge was the flagship of the battlegroup, a captured and heavily modified _Imperial II_-Class Star Destroyer, the _Ren's Vengeance_; it was painted red, save for the black symbol of the Rebellion painted over the front third, and its hull bristled with weapons that weren't on the standard Star Destroyers.

At the _Vengeance_'s flanks were the two graceful Mon Cal cruisers, the _Tides of Change _and the _Ocean's Majesty_, and right behind them were two Corellian Corvettes, the _Bright Light _and _Lucky Hand_, and two Missile Gunships, the _Brave _and the _Bold_.

Aboard the _Vengeance_, the commanding officer of both the ship and of the rest of Maverick tapped the arm of her command-chair with one slender finger. Admiral Rila M'zan was a Twi'lek, a near-human species; her skin was red, which was uncommon for her species, and her twin lekku that ran from the back of her head and down to her waist had jagged black stripes across them. Like most Twi'lek females, M'zan was incredibly attractive, with curves that she didn't even try to hide. She wore tight-fitting white pants, black boots and jacket, and a white shirt that was slightly too small on her, and seemed to strain to fit over her chest. On top of her hairless head was a peaked Imperial Navy cap, which she had taken from the _Vengeance_'s previous Captain.

"What's the status of The Highway?" she asked her First Officer, a grizzled Rodian named Gorch.

The Rodian in question looked up at the Admiral. "Scans show that it's still powering up. We have perhaps thirty minutes before the artificial wormhole is created; once it's formed, we won't have any way to close it."

"And you're sure we can't just blast it now?" M'zan asked, her bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Gorch sighed; after years of serving under the Admiral, he had become used to her childish nature… unless they were in combat. Then, M'zan became a fierce leader of a pack of hunters, willing to destroy anything that got between her and her chosen prey.

"No, Ma'am," Gorch said, "The ring is designed to repel just such an attack; the weapons attached to it would shred anything that got close, save for…"

"I know," M'zan interrupted, her pout still present, "Why do they always get to go in first?"

There was one weakness to The Highway: the level of energy running through it meant that not even droids could operate on the ring directly. All functions, including defense systems, were controlled by a small station about one-hundred meters in diameter. It was hanging close to the ring, and thus made simply blasting it away with the _Vengeance _impossible.

That had never been the plan, however. When discussing strategies, it had been decided that a small team would have to fly through the flak that the ring would throw at them. Said team would then board the control station, neutralize any opposition and then shut down the ring's defenses. Only then could Maverick destroy the ring.

M'zan, Gorch and the rest of the _Vengeance_'s bridge crew smiled when they saw a diamond-shaped vessel, thirty meters long and its shape offset by the trio of large engines on the stern, as well as the oversized cannon on all sides, shot towards the station, nimbly dodging the turbolasers that fired at it.

It hadn't been hard to find the perfect team for the job; in M'zan's mind, there was _only _one team that had the skills to pull the mission off.

The Outcast Blades.

…

"Remind me again why we agreed to this mission!?" Commander Ryan Nimbus, founder and leader of the mercenary group called the Outcast Blades, demanded as his ship shook from another near-miss.

"Hey, _you _agreed to it," the Blades' engineer and pilot, Tanith Tsor, snapped, "The rest of us said it was crazy!"

"Well, why didn't I listen?" Ryan asked.

"Your exact words were 'hey, how many people can claim they blew up an artificial wormhole?'. Your _exact _words!"

"Remind me of this conversation later, and then call me an idiot."

"Let me get an early start on that," Tanith said, rolling her eyes, even as she deftly piloted the ship, the _Desperate Measures_, out of the way of an ion cannon's blast, "You are an idiot."

"Just because you turned in the assignment early does not get you extra credit."

"Do you want to sleep alone tonight?"

"I'm an idiot."

"That's what I thought."

Ryan sighed from his position in the copilot's seat and ran his hand through his short, black hair. He was a twenty-four-year-old human, with skin that was slightly pale. He was of average height, though for some reason, most of the people he knew were taller than him. His face, while handsome, had never been too memorable until a mission to the planet Naboo four years earlier, when he had lost his right eye in a battle against the Empire. That eye had been replaced with a cybernetic that glowed a soft white, while a thin, jagged scar crossed his face; it started just past his hairline, making its way down, bisecting his eyebrow, going across his eye, down his cheek and cutting across the corner of his mouth before curving slightly, so that it ended at the right corner of his chin.

Tanith was a Mirialan, a species that was practically identical to Humans, save for her green skin. On her beautiful face, under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose, was a line of black, geometric tattoos that described her life's path. Her chestnut-colored hair was tied in a braid and ended at the base of her neck. She was taller than Ryan by several inches, and seemed to radiate a beauty that she never needed to work to achieve.

She and Ryan had also been engaged for almost eight months, just before the Outcast Blades had helped destroy the shield-generator on Endor.

"We're close to the station," she said, glancing at her instruments, "Taking us in now."

"Right," Ryan said, standing up and making his way to the docking-tube, "The others should be ready by now; meet us at the tube as soon as we're docked."

"Got it," Tanith said, then pointed to her right, "Don't forget your helmet."

"Like I ever would," Ryan said, grabbing said piece of armor and putting it on his head.

Like the rest of his armor, his helmet was made of Mandalorian iron, or _beskar_, and was nearly indestructible, save for the spaces between the arms and torso, and the back of the knees, which were made of a durable mesh, which had been strengthened with lines of durasteel. Ryan's armor had been painted matte-black, with dulled silver on the knees, elbows and shoulder-plates. A white, stylized human skull had been painted on the front of the helmet, the triangular visor replacing the eyes and nose. Over his armor, Ryan wore a brown, sleeveless coat that ended at his knees.

It wasn't just his armor that was impressive; Ryan also had a small armory attached to him. Mag-locked to his right thigh was a stockless, square-barreled blaster carbine; holstered on his left hip was a heavy blaster pistol. Strapped to his chest was a _beskar _dagger, while a barbed _beskad_, a saber made of Mandalorian iron, was sheathed over his back. On top of that, he had mini-rockets, a hidden blade, a flamethrower and several other pieces of gear built into his armor.

Ryan made his way to the middle of the ship, where he found the other three members of the Outcast Blades waiting for him.

First was the twenty-year-old Wek Vaas; a few inches shorter than Ryan, he was a blue-skinned Nautolan, a humanoid race with large, black eyes and a mass of tentacles that came down to his lower back. He had the same style of armor as Ryan, though only the Commander wore a coat, and Wek had removed his shoulder-plates, in order to give himself more maneuverability. Due to his head, he was unable to wear a helmet, but had fashioned a mask that covered his mouth and nose, while a green, holographic visor was mounted over his right eye.

His armor was painted in a camouflage-pattern of grays, browns, greens and black. He, like the other Blades, had most of the same weapon in his armor as Ryan did, save for a few features that were unique to the Commander. He also had a _beskar _dagger and a blaster pistol, but his unique weapon was the sniper rifle in his hands; it was collapsible, and could switch between a real sniper rifle and a carbine. In addition, it had two fire modes: one was a semi-automatic, medium-powered mode that could easily defeat most infantry, while the second could fire a single beam of intense power, strong enough to kill light vehicles.

He was more than just a sniper, however; Wek was a technological savant and expert slicer, able to understand most forms of technology and had yet to find information he couldn't get out of a computer. In fact, it was Wek who had discovered the data on The Highway; during the Battle of Endor, he had sliced into several top-secret Imperial files, one of which had contained information on their current target.

The next member of the Blades was Dirk Bitterman, who preferred to be called Bitters. Bitters was a giant of a Human, his armor only barely fitting his muscular form. Though almost forty years old, the medic's dark skin showed no sign of age, seemingly stuck looking like a thirty-year-old. His shaved head had a few lines of circuitry, while his armor, painted copper with a single silver stripe going vertically down each arm and leg, the center of his chest-plate and helmet. Like all the Blades, he had a _beskar _dagger; unlike the others, however, he had two blaster pistols, instead of one, and he tended to use both at the same time. On his back was a monstrous vibrosword that had a single, jagged edge; Bitters called it 'Ol' Chopper', and the weapon certainly lived up to the name.

Despite his warrior-like appearance, Bitters was actually the team's medic, and had earned a degree in medicine on his homeworld of Corellia. The only problem was that he was a borderline sociopath, and he used his expert knowledge of anatomy to turn most enemies into so many pieces of meat.

Checking her weapons one more time was S3-R4, otherwise known as Sera, the heavy-weapons specialist. Though the smallest of the Blades, she had the largest weapon, a cannon that was over a meter long and connected to a backpack that contained explosives and doubled as a power-pack for her weapon, all via a thick cord that was attached to the weapon's back. She also had a _beskar _dagger and a blaster pistol, though she rarely used them. Her armor was dark-red, with broad, black stripes that went down the arms.

While Sera appeared to be a very cold Human to outsiders, those who knew her knew the truth: Sera was a droid that had been built to act as Human as possible, down to having pale, artificial skin and muscles for facial expressions. Over the last few years, she had developed more of a personality, though she still refused to use contracted words, giving her a more refined voice.

"Commander," she said, "we are prepared to assault the station."

Ryan nodded. "Good, because we should be there in a few minutes. Wek, what kind of opposition are we looking at once we're inside?"

Wek pulled a datapad from his belt and examined its contents before answering. "Well, judging from the size and the way the Empire wanted to keep The Highway a secret, the number of personnel should be small. I'd say no more than fifty, and most of them should be technicians and officers. We probably won't see more than two squads of Stormtroopers."

"So you're saying that sending us in is overkill?" Ryan joked, getting a laugh out of Wek and Bitters.

The moment of levity ended when Tanith's voice boomed out of the ship's intercom. _"Heads up, people, we'll be docking in thirty seconds; final approach is locked in, and I'll be joining you now."_

A few seconds later, Tanith showed up in her gray-blue armor, which had black-and-yellow hazmat stripes going down the sides of her arms and legs. Like the others, she had a _beskar _knife and a blaster pistol, but cradled a wide-muzzle scattergun in her hands. On her belt were several tools, such as cutting-torches and spanners.

"You ready?" Ryan asked.

Tanith smiled, then slid on her helmet. "You better believe it; after all this, I'm still expecting a vacation."

She wasn't the only one; after the Battle of Endor, a part of every Rebel's mind had hoped that the Empire would simply disappear. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and the New Republic had been constantly fighting against the Empire. It was only thanks to the Empire's infighting that the New Republic hadn't been overwhelmed in the first days. All the fighting meant that the Outcast Blades were in higher demand than ever, and that meant no time to rest.

"I'll see what I can do, but you know that Mon Mothma—sorry, _Chief of State _Mon Mothma—likes running us ragged," Ryan said, and then the _Desperate Measures _shuddered as she docked with the station. "All right, people, let's do this quick and clean. Just 'cause we aren't facing an army doesn't mean we can relax."

The Blades formed up at the door, which opened; Ryan led the way to another door at the end of a hallway, but that one was locked tight.

"Blade Two," Ryan said over the team's comm-channel, "You're up; get this door open."

"Copy that, Blade Lead," Tanith said, and began cutting open the door; less than a minute later, she had carved a half-circle, though the door remained standing.

Ryan drew his carbine and gestured for Bitters to stand next to him. The Blades had attacked stations in space before, and had established a tried-and-true method for entering. Ryan and Bitters would simultaneously kick down the door, and then they, with Tanith right behind them, would rush forward, keeping as low as possible, while Wek and Sera shot anyone who was directly in their way. Once Ryan, Tanith and Bitters then secured the immediate area, Wek and Sera would catch up.

The plan worked; as soon as the door went down, so did the four Stormtroopers who were waiting for them, three taken down by Sera's cannon, and the last via Wek's sniper rifle. The rest of the Imperials inside, a handful of engineers and an officer, were killed by the other three Blades.

"Area secure!" Ryan announced, as he stepped over a smoking corpse, "All hostiles neutralized!"

Once Wek and Sera caught up, they searched the room. It was fairly Spartan, actually; while the Empire had several large, top-secret projects in the works, most of the best supplies had gone to the Death Star. This facility only had the bare necessities, though since both it and the ring outside were actually disposable, it made sense.

"Come on," Ryan said, "Let's head to the control-room. I'll take point; Blade Four, you're on our six." Bitters nodded and moved to the rear. "Blade Five, stay here and hold this position." Sera wordless followed the order. "Blade Three, stay near Blade Four." Wek saluted, then moved to Bitters' shadow. "Blade Two, you're with me; let's move."

With Tanith right behind him, the four mercenaries made their way down the only hallway available, only pausing when a handful of Stormtroopers engaged them. Ryan killed half of them before the Imperials could get a second shot off, and the rest were mowed down by Bitters' pistols and Tanith's scattergun.

"It's a wonder that the Empire could get so many scientists together to make something like this," Tanith mused as they moved on, "I mean, creating an _artificial wormhole_… that kind of science makes blowing up a planet seem tame in comparison."

"And yet the Emperor wanted to focus on the Death Star," Wek commented, "Wonder why that was?"

"Maybe he was compensating for something?" Bitters offered, and they all shared a short laugh, even the normally professional Ryan, though he quickly got them focused again.

"Cut the chatter, guys," he said, "Let's keep it professional."

"Sorry, sir," Tanith quickly apologized; the Blades knew better than to joke like that on a job like this.

Ryan then heard something and stopped walking, raising his left fist and falling to one knee; the Blades readied their weapons, just as a single Imperial engineer walked around the corner. Acting fast, Ryan rolled and came up standing, grabbed the engineer and slammed him into the wall.

"What kind of security is up ahead?" Ryan growled, sticking his carbine under the man's chin.

"Uh, um," the man stuttered, then yelped when Tanith walked up and aimed her scattergun in the direction of his groin.

"I'd speak up right about now," she said dangerously.

"There're ten soldiers and the Admiral in the control-room," the engineer said quickly, "But there's also a pair of Dark Troopers outside of it."

Ryan nodded, satisfied, then slammed the man's head into the wall twice, knocking him out.

"Why not just kill him?" Bitters asked.

Ryan shrugged. "This station's going to get blown up anyway; why waste the blaster bolt?"

The other Blades didn't really have an answer to that, so they moved on. When they finally found the entrance to the control-room, they found that the engineer had been telling the truth; there were indeed a pair of Phase-I Dark Troopers, which guarded the door with raised shields and readied vibroblades.

"Blades, disappear," Ryan commanded, and the four tapped the disks on the sides of their belts; in an instant, they vanished as the stealth-generators did their work.

"Standard DT-takedowns, Lead?" Wek asked quietly, even though no one could hear the private message.

"Yeah," Ryan said, slowly moving forward, "Blade Two, you're with me; we'll take the one on the right. Blade Three, Blade Four, you take the one on the left. Thermal lances on my mark."

"Copy that," three voices said at once, and then they quietly got into position.

Once they got close, each Blade aimed their left arm at their target.

"Mark!" Ryan barked, activating his thermal lance at the same time as the others.

Several years ago, Ryan had used a different, more volatile mix of chemicals for the Blades' flamethrowers, allowing for a second method of firing. The 'thermal lances', as Ryan called them, fired a small tube of superheated chemicals at a target, which could burn through anything up to medium-grade starship hull. The tradeoff, however, was that unless something was standing inches away from the target, the lance could only hit one thing at a time, and the amount of fuel required meant that it could only be used five times, or use the flamethrower for twenty minutes.

Still, they worked wonderfully against tough foes like the Dark Troopers; Ryan's attack sliced off the droid's arms, while Tanith's punctured its power core, killing it. Wek's lance bisected the other Dark Trooper at the waist, allowing Bitters to walk up and fire his lance through the droid's head; the medic then kicked it for good measure.

"All right, hostiles are down," Ryan said, then gestured to Wek, "Blade Three, see if you can open the door."

"On it," Wek replied, moving to the door's control-panel and typed away for a few seconds. "Okay, be ready in three, two, one… go!"

The door slid open, and all four Blades hit the ground, allowing a flurry of blaster bolts fly overhead, then returned fire from their prone positions. A handful of Stormtroopers were knocked off their feet, and it gave the Blades time to stand and engage properly. Tanith knocked one trooper to the ground with a hole in his chest, while Wek killed another with his pistol. Ryan drew his _beskad _and dagger and charged, Bitters right behind him. The two blade-wielders soon turned the remaining Stormtroopers into a bloody mess, leaving only an Imperial in an Admiral's uniform and a few terrified technicians standing.

"You'll never stop the Empire," the Admiral snarled, only for Ryan to shoot him in the head.

"Says you," Ryan snapped, as the other Blades killed the techs, who had tried to draw weapons with trembling hands.

"I'll get to work on disabling the defenses," Wek said, moving to the computers.

"See if you can shut down the whole thing while you're at it," Ryan ordered, even as he took up a defensive position at the door.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news," Wek said a few minutes later, "The good news is that I've shut down the defenses, and Maverick is now attacking the ring."

"What's the bad news?" Tanith asked.

"The activation is a runaway," Wek said grimly, "We've got maybe ten minutes before that thing activates."

"Can we contact Maverick and tell them to hurry up?" Ryan asked.

Wek shook his head. "The energy from the ring is disrupting comms. We'll have to get closer to the battlegroup before we can communicate with them."

"Got it; let's move, Blades." Ryan started to leave, but a cough from Bitters stopped him.

"Lead, what if a surviving Imperial gets here?" he asked, "They could turn on the defenses again."

Ryan paused for a moment, then drew his carbine and his blaster pistol, then he fired both weapons for several seconds; when he was done, the computers were all piles of sparking scrap.

"I don't think that'll be an issue," he said calmly, "They've got some technical difficulties."

The four Blades hurried back to their entry-point, where Sera was waiting calmly.

"Was the mission successful?" she asked, then followed her teammates to the _Desperate Measures_.

"It was," Tanith told her, "but we've gotta tell Maverick to hurry it up. If they don't, that wormhole is going to open, and we won't have the manpower to keep it out of the Empire's hands."

As soon as they were aboard, Tanith piloted the ship directly towards the battlegroup, while Ryan tried to get in touch with M'zan. Finally, the Admiral answered the call.

"_Ryan, thanks for shutting down those guns," _she said over the comms, _"But seriously, you don't have to be so impatient; you could have waited until you were back on board."_

"It's not that, Rila," Ryan said; he was one of the few people who dared address M'zan by her first name, "Wek wasn't able to shut down The Highway itself; it's going to activate in…" he quickly checked his chronometer, "Five minutes; you've got to destroy that thing before then!"

"… _Understood," _M'zan said grimly, _"We'll get it done. Just get back here ASAP!"_

"Will do," Ryan assured her, "Keep a bottle ready for us."

…

Despite M'zan's promise, Battlegroup Maverick was only partially successful; they were able to destroy The Highway, but only just as the device activated. The explosion that occurred within the forming wormhole engulfed the nearby station, destroying it, but a pulse of cosmic energy shot outwards, encompassing the New Republic vessels, as well as the _Desperate Measures_, which was just beyond the _Ren's Vengeance_.

All records of what would be known as 'The Maverick Incident' would say that the battlegroup was destroyed, vaporized at the microscopic level by the raging forces of an almost-formed wormhole.

The truth, however, would not be discovered until much, much later…

…

**Unknown Location**

In a flash of light, the ships of Battlegroup Maverick were flung into the void; after a few seconds of havoc, systems aboard all vessels returned to normal, but for the people inside, it was still a disturbing experience.

"What… what happened?" M'zan asked, using her chair as a support to help her stand.

The operations-officer looked at his terminal. "Um… not sure, Ma'am; all ships are reporting that their systems failed for a few seconds, but all damage is superficial, and only minor injuries are being reported."

"Good," M'zan said, relieved, "What about the Blades?"

The comms-officer checked her earpiece. "They've just boarded us, Ma'am, though Commander Nimbus is asking 'what the kriffing hell is going on'. His words, Ma'am, not mine."

"It's all right," M'zan assured the officer, "I have the same question: what happened?"

The sensor-officer checked his instruments. "Well… we're not where we were."

"Come again?" M'zan asked, looking more calm than she felt.

"The star-charts…" the officer said, shaking his head in disbelief, "We don't seem to be in any known systems; none of the stars match up."

"Ma'am…" Gorch said, pointing at the viewport, "You need to see this."

M'zan turned, and her eyes widened; outside the ship was a massive space-station! While it was no Death Star, it was certainly bigger than anything else she'd seen; it looked like a city, floating in space! It was silver in color, with five massive arms that connected at a circular section at one end. All around the station, dozens, maybe hundreds of vessels traveled to and from it; some were small, barely bigger than a fighter, while others were almost as big as a Mon Cal Cruiser.

Two of those larger vessels, as well as nearly twenty smaller ones, each around 500 meters, were headed right for Maverick.

"Tell Commander Nimbus to stay ready for combat," M'zan said, "We'll get answers later. Right now, I don't think the locals are coming to say hello."

_Nothing's ever easy, is it?_ She asked herself, as her ships got ready for yet another battle.

**And there you have it, folks! This chapter was fairly short, but it was mostly meant to establish the main characters (from the Star Wars 'verse, anyway) and explain how they got in the Mass Effect 'verse. Next chapter, we see what happens when you pick a fight with Maverick! In a word: don't.**

**I hope that you're looking forward to this story, because I sure am!**

**This could all turn out to be a wild Muffin-chase.**


	2. Meeting the Natives, Part 1

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, AND IF YOU TRY TO STEAL THEM, I'LL SIC A THRESHER MAW ON YOU.**

**I was very pleased with the positive feedback for the first chapter. For the people who like the Citadel Council, however (all, what, two of you… somewhere?) this chapter will not be for you. Just a warning.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 2

Meeting the Natives, Part 1

**The Citadel**

For the inhabitants of the Citadel, it had been a regular day of organized chaos. Visitors came and went, criminals were arrested by Citadel Security—though some would say that C-Sec let those same criminals go faster than they arrested them—and the Council was buried under its own bureaucracy.

All that changed when a blinding flash of light appeared less than a hundred kilometers away from the Citadel. When the vision of those who saw the light returned, they were shocked to see that seven strange vessels had shown up. Naturally, the Citadel Fleet reacted swiftly, sending its two Dreadnaughts, the largest ships behind the flagship, the _Destiny Ascension_, along with a decent amount of smaller Cruisers and Frigates to investigate.

The commanding officers aboard the ships weren't stupid; they had seen the way the ships had arrived, almost tumbling through space. It was possible that these ships, and the people on them, had suffered some sort of technical malfunction; in any case, they weren't just going to open fire immediately, like the first encounter with Humanity had happened. At least, that's what the Humans aboard _their _ships hoped.

Inside the Presidium, the most peaceful and wealthiest section of the Citadel, four of the most powerful people in Citadel Space watched the approaching contact with no small amount of interest and a little fear. Though none of the new ships were of a recognizable design, it was the three larger ships that caught their attention; all three were larger than their Dreadnaughts! The largest—the red, triangular one with the black symbol on the front—was particularly threatening; it was more than half again the size of a Dreadnaught and bristled with what could only be weapons.

"Do you think they're hostile?" Councilor Sparatus, the Turian representative, asked as he eyed the new arrivals with equal parts anxiety and respect; his people gave respect, even if it was grudging, to anyone who came prepared for a fight. It meant that they weren't fools.

"Unlikely," Councilor Valern, the Salarian representative, shook his head; he then pointed at the smaller ships. "See the rapid deployment? Suggests they were unprepared for something. Could be interesting to find out what happened."

"I agree," Councilor Tevos, the Asari representative, nodded at her Salarian counterpart, "Their actions so far suggest that they're more confused than anything else. They could have been testing a new form of faster-than-light travel, and something went wrong."

"To seven ships?" Sparatus asked incredulously, "In the exact same way? I find that unlikely."

"Stranger things have happened," the newest Councilor, Udina, representative of Humanity, interjected, "After all, no one believed that the Geth would ever leave the Perseus Veil, did they?"

Despite the other Councilors' general dislike of Udina, they had to concede that point. They were just glad that Humanity's replacement representative had used a different example than the last one. Admiral Anderson just wouldn't shut up about the so-called 'Reapers'.

"Look," Sparatus said, pointing at the viewscreen in front of them, "Our ships are almost within weapons-range."

"As well as communications-range, Sparatus," Tevos reminded him gently, if firmly.

Sparatus had to resist rolling his eyes. The Asari could be so damned soft sometimes; the Turians knew firsthand that you had to start of any sort of first contact from a position of strength.

Conveniently, he ignored the tiny part of his mind that wondered if these alien vessels, and their crews, had a similar philosophy.

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

"What's our status?" M'zan demanded, as the rest of Maverick settled into a defensive position.

"All systems are good, Ma'am," the operations-officer announced, "and all ships are reporting the same."

M'zan nodded. "Good, but don't deploy the fighters and bombers just yet; if these guys are hostile, I don't want to show our entire hand until we have to."

"Ma'am," the sensor-officer caught her attention, "I've just scanned the approaching ships and, well, you're not going to believe this."

"Tell me anyway," M'zan deadpanned.

"Well, according the scans… their main armament seems to be some type of slug-throwing technology."

M'zan blinked twice, then almost laughed. They had to be dealing with some sort of primitive fleet; aside from torpedoes and missiles, slug-throwing weaponry had been discarded tens of thousands of years ago, replaced by the more efficient energy-weapons.

"Wait, you said that their main guns were slug-throwers," Gorch said, "What else have they got?"

The sensor-officer looked back at the terminal. "It seems that they have some kind of low-power energy-cannons, but they seem to be designed as a short-range point-defense system."

"Well, let's not start anything if we don't have to," M'zan said, leaning back in her command-chair, "Just in case, however, switch to particle shields."

There were two kinds of shields among ships that M'zan had seen; ray shields were designed to stop energy-based attacks, as well as doing a number on organic beings that touched them, while particle shields, normally used for shielding a vessel as it plowed through asteroids and other such debris, also had a use for blocking missiles and torpedoes.

As the ships of Maverick switched to their particle shields, the comms-officer raised a hand.

"Ma'am, we seem to be getting a transmission… but it's not in any language I've ever heard, and it's not in the databanks either." The officer frowned. "Hang on, we seem to be getting another message, in another language… now a third language… a f—wait, I recognize that one!"

"What is it?" Gorch asked, "What are they saying?"

"According to the computers, they're speaking Talviran, but with an accent that I've never heard before."

M'zan was surprised; Talviran was an ancient Human language, which was normally replaced by the more useful Basic. Perhaps they had stumbled upon a primitive coalition of species, with Humans as part of it.

"Send a standard 'we come in peace' message in Talviran," she ordered, "but keep our shields up, just in case."

The comms-officer nodded uncertainly. "Right, 'we come in peace'… do we _have_ a standard for that?"

M'zan pinched the bridge of her nose, though if she was being honest with herself, she should have known that would have been the response; since its formation, Maverick had never really had a peaceful contact with anyone, preferring to just destroy them.

"Just say that we're not here for a fight," she said, torn between being amused and annoyed.

While the comms-officer went to work on sending the message, M'zan took a moment to analyze the approaching vessels. The two largest ones were almost as big as the Mon Cal Cruisers, the _Tides of Change _and _Ocean's Majesty_, but still short by about two hundred meters. On top of that, they still had less mass overall; M'zan estimated that the thinner vessels that were approaching her ships had, at most, thirty decks, while the Mon Cal Cruisers had over twice that. The smaller ships that trailed behind the two larger ones were between one and three hundred meters long, but similarly-designed, as if whoever built them had simply upped the size, instead of making different ships altogether.

There were differences, however. Half of the ships looked like compact tanks, while the others had an avian appearance, complete with straight wings at the back; M'zan idly wondered what purpose that served, until something caught her eye.

One of the larger ships, of the winged variety, had accelerated ahead of the rest, and was headed right for the _Ren's Vengeance_.

"Get Commander Nimbus and General Kota up here," M'zan ordered, "And charge up the main ion cannons, just in case."

…

**The SSV **_**Fuji**_

Captain Daniela Ramirez had seen a lot during her years as the CO of one of the Systems Alliance's Dreadnaughts. She had been at the Battle of the Citadel several years earlier, and despite claims to the contrary from the Council, she knew that Sovereign was far more than a Geth Super-Dreadnaught. She had also seen the horrors unleashed by the Collectors a year previously, and suspected that they were also serving a far more powerful, and more sinister master, just like the Geth.

Despite all that, seeing seven unknown vessels—eight, counting the small ship that had flown into the large, red one—appear out of nowhere was certainly an eye-opener. Thankfully, she had recovered quickly and had ordered the _Fuji_, as well as ten Alliance Frigates to investigate the new arrivals. Not wanting to start anything, Ramirez had ordered the Alliance ships to keep their weapons aimed _away _from the unknowns, though she wisely ordered them to keep their barriers up, just in case.

The other ships, however, were not being so considerate. The Turian Dreadnaught _Hierarchy's Pride_ was commanded by a hothead of a Captain named Sectus, and he seemed intent on meeting these unknown vessels with guns blazing. For the last five minutes, Ramirez had practically begged her counterpart not to fire.

"Please, Captain," Ramirez said to Sectus' hologram, projected on her bridge, "I understand that approaching from a position of strength is important, but we don't need to attack these people!"

Sectus' mandibles flared slightly in amusement. _"Typical Human, trying to be soft and hard at the same time. It's a wonder your species hasn't gone insane from all the division in your own brains, not to mention your society."_

He then cut the connection, leaving the Humans on the _Fuji _to fume.

_Arrogant, smug, bastard… _Ramirez's only show of anger was to clench her fists, though she did entertain the notion of opening fire on Sectus' ship; after all, it was ahead of her own, and if the Citadel scuttlebutt was to be believed, Sectus was a glory-hound that no one would miss anyway.

Before her thoughts could drift into truly treasonous territory, her comms-officer spoke up.

"Captain! We're getting a response to our greeting, audio only!"

As soon as her ships had begun approaching, Ramirez had ordered a standard greeting be sent to the unknown vessels, the same message being sent on every frequency and every language in the Citadel's databanks.

"What language did they respond to?" Ramirez asked.

The comms-officer hesitated for a moment. "They… they responded in English, Captain. But I couldn't pin down the accent."

"Maybe their language developed similarly?" another officer offered, though the odds of such a thing happening were ridiculous.

"What are they saying?" Ramirez asked, just thankful that they'd be able to talk to these people first.

"They're saying… that they've come in peace," the comms-officer said, relieved, "They were in some kind of accident and have no idea where they are. They're asking us to not shoot at them."

Ramirez nodded. "Tell all vessels that the unknowns are _not _hostile. I repeat: they are _not _hostile."

"Captain!" the sensor-officer shouted, "The _Pride _just opened fire!"

Eyes wide in horror, Ramirez focused on the image of the _Hierarchy's Pride_; more specifically, at the projectile that was rapidly closing the distance between the Dreadnaught and the largest vessel.

_Oh my god, _Ramirez thought, _please don't tell me we just started a war._

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

"Admiral, you wanted to see us?" Rahm Kota asked as he and Ryan entered the bridge.

"Yes," M'zan said, nodding to both men, though the aging General couldn't see it. Despite being almost sixty, Kota had the physique of a man half that age; he cut an inspiring figure in his armor and practical combat-robe, and he was unafraid to show his face, despite the scattered scars and long burn that cost him his sight, courtesy of his then-enemy and would-be apprentice, Starkiller. Since he was the founder of Maverick and the last living Jedi Master, M'zan often relied on Kota as a confidant and advisor.

Ryan, still in his armor but his helmet attached to his belt, gave a friendly wave; he and M'zan had been close friends for years, the young Human even earning the right to call M'zan by her first name, something that annoyed her to no end if anyone else did it.

"So, what's going on?" Ryan asked; after knowing each other for so long, both he and M'zan could see the tension in each other, so M'zan cut to the chase.

"The unknown ships have sent a greeting of peace," she said, "in Talviran, of all things."

"Seriously?" Ryan asked, an eyebrow raised, "Aren't the only people who speak it working in museums or something?"

"Didn't _you_ learn to speak it?" Kota asked, amused.

Ryan shrugged. "It was when I was in the Empire. Stationed on that Star Destroyer with nothing to do… for a year."

"And you didn't try to, I don't know, sleep with someone?" one of the bridge officers called out.

"I think there were maybe three women on the entire ship," Ryan shot back, "And the only one I met told me she didn't date guys who were shorter than her."

Before any more banter could be traded, the tactical-officer shouted, "Incoming fire! That big ship just launched some sort of super-fast slug!"

"When will it hit?" M'zan demanded, dropping all friendly appearances and turning into the Admiral that almost every Imperial feared.

"It won't," the officer replied, with no small amount of relief, "It's just a warning shot; that, or whoever fired has lousy aim."

"It's the latter," Kota told them all, his sightless eyes closed, "They were aiming for us, but I sense that there was a miscommunication between the gunners and the helmsman. Admiral, I believe that we should fire back."

Ryan was surprised, and he wasn't the only one; Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, and this one was asking them to pick a fight?

Kota spoke before anyone could question his sanity. "We don't have to destroy that vessel, but if we are to have any hope at negotiating with these people, we must appear to be holding all the cards."

M'zan could count the number of people she trusted implicitly on one hand, so she didn't hesitate.

"Target the largest power-source on that ship and hit it with the main ion battery!"

"Aye, Ma'am!" the tactical-officer said, then tapped away at his terminal.

Five seconds later, one of the _Vengeance_'s four octuple-barreled heavy ion cannons fired twice. All eyes on the bridge followed the bolts of energy as they crossed the distance, striking the winged ship dead-center. A moment later, energy crackled along the hull, and then the entire ship was drifting helplessly in the void.

"What's the status of that ship?" M'zan asked.

The sensor-officer looked at the instruments. "It looks like everything but some kind of backup life-support was shut down; they don't seem to have any defense against ion-based weaponry."

M'zan nodded, satisfied, as she saw the rest of the unknown ships hold their positions, obviously intimidated by the show of force.

"Which ship tried to contact us?" M'zan asked.

"The other large one," the comms-officer said, "The one that didn't try to shoot us."

"Let's see if they're still willing to talk," M'zan said, grinning, "Now that we've got their attention."

…

**SSV **_**Fuji**_

Captain Ramirez had heard the word 'dumbstruck' before, but if she had felt it in the past, it paled in comparison to how she felt now. A Turian Dreadnaught, one of the most powerful ships in existence, had just been disabled in _two_ _shots_! In fact, the second shot might have been unnecessary, as if the unknown ship was merely making sure that the Turians were no longer a threat; Ramirez knew a lot of soldiers who called that 'double-tapping'.

It wasn't just the Captain who was shocked senseless; the _Fuji_'s comms-officer had been staring at the image of the unknown vessels for a full two minutes before she realized that someone was trying to contact them.

"Um, Captain," she said nervously, "The lead ship… she's hailing us again."

Ramirez shook herself out of her stupor. "Let me talk to them. Maybe I can smooth this over before it goes FUBAR."

The comms-officer nodded, then tapped a button. A moment later, a voice spoke.

"_Hello, whoever you are," _the person on the other end said, sounding amused, _"I hope we didn't scare you all too much."_

"Just a little surprised, that's all," Ramirez said as calmly as she could, "I am Captain Daniela Ramirez, commanding officer of the SSV _Fuji_, Systems Alliance. I apologize on behalf of the Citadel Council for the actions of my colleague; he was not supposed to fire at you. If I may ask, who am I speaking to? Are you the commanding officer of those ships?"

If anything, the voice sounded even more amused. _"No, I'm just the messenger for Admiral Rila M'zan, commanding officer of both this ship, the _Ren's Vengeance_, and of Battlegroup Maverick, of the New Republic. The Admiral wanted to speak to you herself, but she doesn't speak Talviran." _There was a sound that sounded suspiciously like a hand hitting the back of a head. _"Ow! What? It's true!"_

Ramirez had a sinking feeling that either these new arrivals were crazy, or they just didn't care how massively outnumbered they were. Also, she had no idea what this 'Talviran' was, but apparently it was similar to English; she decided not to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

"Well, that's no problem," she said, "But our Council would certainly like to meet with you, if that's all right."

There was a brief silence; Ramirez assumed that that person was translating for this Admiral, whoever she was, and that a decision was being reached.

"_That's fine," _the voice said a minute later, _"However, the Admiral will be coming aboard with a security detail and advisors. This is non-negotiable."_

This time, Ramirez heard steel beneath the speaker's good humor.

"I'll inform the Council," she said, deciding to hand the problem over to someone whose pay-grade was high-enough to deal with this sort of headache, "Once they reach a decision, I'll transmit coordinates to dock."

The speaker on the other end of the line laughed sheepishly. _"I'm afraid that our systems may not work like yours; do you think you could have someone lead us to where we need to go?"_

Ramirez felt her lip twitch upwards. "I think that can be arranged."

"_Thanks. We'll wait for your next transmission; until then, keep your ships back, or they'll end up like your colleague's… oh, right, sorry about shooting that ship, but their systems should be up again soon. I think."_

Throughout the conversation, Ramirez wondered why the speaker's voice sounded so peculiar, and as the connection ended, she realized why: if she hadn't known better, she would have sworn that she was talking to another Human.

"Um, Captain?" the _Fuji_'s sensor-officer said shakily, "While you were talking, I ran a sensor-sweep…"

"You _do _realize that they might have detected that?" Ramirez said hotly, "You also realize that they might have taken offense to that, and we might have ended up just like the _Pride_?"

From the look on the officer's face, he hadn't realized that at all.

Ramirez sighed. "Fine, whatever. We weren't shot, so what did you find?"

"Well, you know how a ship that big would require a massive amount of Element Zero, right?"

Ramirez nodded, more than a little familiar with the topic. Element Zero, or eezo, was the fuel that powered just about everything in the galaxy. From the tiniest comm-beads to the largest ships, everything required eezo to function. The more mass an object had, the more eezo it required; on top of that, the requirements didn't increase linearly, but exponentially. While a Frigate, only a hundred meters long on average, required about two hundred units of eezo, a Dreadnaught, about a thousand meters long, required upwards of two _thousand _units of eezo. That giant, unknown vessel must have required another thousand units, easy. Just another reason why nobody built many Dreadnaughts, besides the fact that they took a _lot _of credits and even more time.

"Well, when I scanned the ship," the officer said, his face pale, "There were no readings of Element Zero. None at all."

Ramirez stared at the unknown vessels in awe. Somehow, these people had built effective, _Dreadnaught-disabling energy-weapons_, mounted them on ships of that size, and all without the one thing that every scientist in the galaxy said that every ship needed?

"Who are these people?" she whispered.

…

**The Citadel**

After witnessing what had happened via vid-screen, and after the _Fuji _had transferred over her communications-logs, the Council found itself similarly awed.

"Ships that size that don't require Element Zero," Valern said, practically bouncing in his seat, "Energy-based weaponry that can disable a ship in a single shot… the things we could learn from these people!"

"I agree," Tevos said, tapping her chin in thought, "And from the design of the ships, and counting the fact that one person had to translate for this 'Admiral M'zan', I believe that it is safe to assume that we are dealing with multiple species."

"Multiple species that are part of a military unit," Sparatus spat, "They're called 'Battlegroup Maverick', and they showed no qualms with firing on the _Pride_, even though they only fired a warning shot!"

"I know that you're used to ignoring evidence, but even that is too far," Udina said with a scowl; he briefly wondered if Admiral Anderson's habits of taking shots at the Council were rubbing off on him. He then held up a datapad. "This clearly shows that your ship was going to fire on this… _Ren's Vengeance_. Besides, the reports have come in: the ship's systems have been mostly restored, and all personnel were unharmed."

Sparatus tried to protest, but the withering glares he was receiving from Tevos and Valern were enough to make him back down.

"I'll see to it that Captain Sectus is properly censured," he offered meekly.

"Moving on," Tevos said, but not before shooting Sparatus another disapproving frown, "We must make these new arrivals feel welcome. It would not do to alienate them in any way."

"Agreed," Udina said, "Personally, I'm intrigued in finding out why the language they spoke is almost exactly like English."

"Their technology is incredible," Valern said, "I imagine that there will be many scientists drinking themselves into oblivion once they find out about this."

"And perhaps we can gauge their military as well," Sparatus conceded.

"Then we are decided," Tevos said, "Have Captain Ramirez guide their ship as close to us as possible; we don't want to attract more attention than has already been garnered."

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

"Don't you think this is overkill?" Ahsoka Tano asked as M'zan's security made its way to the _Desperate Measures_.

Captain Rex, a clone ARC Captain and Ahsoka's lover, smiled before putting on his helmet. "Don't you remember, Ahsoka? There's no such thing as 'overkill'."

Despite agreeing with that statement, M'zan couldn't help but wonder if they were overdoing it a bit. When Captain Ramirez had told them that this 'Council' was expecting them, Ryan and Kota had assembled their two teams.

Aside from the General, Rex and Ahsoka, Force team had three other members. There was PROXY, the sadistic training-droid-turned-warrior who was also skilled at infiltration, thanks to his hologram-projectors, and could be used as a walking holocom. There was also Captain Juno Eclipse, former Imperial and arguably the best pilot in Maverick. She was also married to the last and most powerful member of Force Team, Galen Marek, otherwise known as Starkiller. The former secret apprentice of Darth Vader, Starkiller could rip capital ships in half with the Force.

Though the Outcast Blades and Force Team had something of a rivalry, both considered each other family, and their skills and abilities complimented each other. Whenever they were on a mission together, Force Team would often be used as a very powerful and noisy distraction, allowing the Blades to complete whatever objective they had. Usually, that objective was blowing something up, stealing enemy supplies, killing someone important, or looking for other things to attack.

And both teams would be escorting M'zan to the Citadel.

"So, what do you think, Sera?" Wek asked, elbowing the droid, "Fifty credits says that today ends with us blowing half that station up."

"I accept your wager," Sera said as she checked the charge on her cannon, "Considering how frightened these people seem of us, they may just ask us to leave."

"And we'll oblige them," M'zan said, idly twirling a blaster pistol before holstering it on her hip, "As soon as we get some directions; I don't know what happened when we blew up The Highway, but it must have scrambled our computers, because Navigation can't tell us where in the galaxy we are!"

"If we do have to stay," Tanith said cheerfully, "I'd like to get a look at what makes that station tick. I mean, you saw those arms, right? The centrifugal forces should tear it apart!"

"Settle down, Tanith," Ryan said, gently squeezing her armored arm, "With our luck, we probably _will _have to shoot our way out."

Tanith pouted, but put her helmet on as the twelve boarded the _Desperate_. Normally, Tanith would be the one flying, but the Mirialan had to admit that the ex-Imperial was a better pilot than her, and so surrendered the cockpit to the other woman.

Once the _Desperate _exited the _Vengeance_'s hangar, they closed the distance to the _Fuji_. A moment later, Ryan hailed Captain Ramirez, ready to once again be her translator. Talviran was similar to Basic, but there were still enough differences to warrant an interpreter.

"Captain Ramirez, this is Admiral M'zan's advocate," Ryan said, "We are prepared for our escort now."

"_Copy that," _Ramirez replied a moment later, _"We're sending a pair of fighters to guide you in. Have fun meeting the politicians."_

"I think I'm starting to like her," Ryan said with a grin.

M'zan shot him a bemused look. "Since when are you my advocate?"

"It sounded better than translator-because-the-Admiral-can't-speak-Talviran," Ryan shot back.

"There're our escorts," Starkiller said, pointing out the cockpit's viewport.

Outside, two ships that looked like exceptionally small versions of the _Fuji _flew alongside them.

"What is it with these people and just increasing or decreasing the size of their ships?" Tanith wondered, shaking her head, "There's no variety at all."

Nobody commented, having seen what happened when the engineer got annoyed; even Force Team took cover when she threw a spanner at someone.

The two fighters guided the _Desperate _towards a private hangar, if the elegance of the strange speeders were any clue.

Ryan placed his helmet on, as did the other Blades—Wek placed his airtight mask over his mouth and nose, then placed his green, holographic visor over his right eye—while the three Jedi pulled the hoods of their cloaks over their heads. Just before they had boarded the _Desperate_ Kota had, on an impulse from the Force, advised every human to keep their faces concealed. He couldn't explain why, but he had a feeling that it was important.

As the ship began to descend, Ryan smirked behind his helmet.

"Let's see what kind of trouble we've landed in now."

…

**The Citadel**

Armando Bailey, a middle-aged Human and a Commander in C-Sec, watched with a critical eye as the unknown vessel landed in the hangar. It hadn't been built with looks in mind, that was certain; the ship was unpainted, and it had none of the graceful curves that most ships had. On top of that, the four oversized, quad-barreled turrets were almost daring the C-Sec officers to try something.

A moment after the ship landed, a ramp extended from behind the belly turret, and eleven people walked out. The first ones out were enough to have Bailey start reaching for his pistol; they were covered in an unfamiliar type of armor, and each had plenty of weaponry. Bailey blinked when he saw that two of them had _swords_ of all things, weapons that hadn't been used by Humans in centuries, and even longer for the other races.

_They have energy-weapons that can take out Dreadnaughts in a single shot, but they also have swords? _Bailey fought the urge to shake his head; things were just getting too crazy.

Then the rest of the visitors exited the ship; three were wearing armor, but Bailey could only see obvious weapons on two. The others carried some kind of silver tube at their sides, including that purple-and-silver mech.

Most of the visitors had helmets or hoods covering their faces, so Bailey couldn't see what they looked like, although they were shaped like Asari and Humans. Four of them were definitely alien, though; the mech, for obvious reasons, the armored one with the mass of long tentacles and blue skin, the orange-skinned one with the prosthetic arm and white-and-gray tail-like things going down its front and the red-skinned one with the peaked cap that had two red head-tails with black stripes going down her back.

_What's with all the head-tails and tentacles? _Bailey wondered. _The Asari are going to love this._

One of the armored people—the shorter one with the black armor—walked up to the C-Sec officers. Bailey could see that though none of them had their hands on their weapons—save for the small one in red armor who was hefting that huge cannon—all of them were, if not tense, than very prepared.

"Welcome to the Citadel," Bailey said, "I'm Commander Armando Bailey of Citadel Security."

"You here to take us to this Council?" the black-armored one asked, his voice coming out slightly synthesized, thanks to the helmet.

Bailey nodded, then gestured to one of his officers, who held out a case. "Before we go, however, I was told to give you these translators. Should cut out the middle-man, so to speak."

The black-armored one cautiously took the case and opened it, revealing a dozen earpiece-like devices. He walked over to the blue-skinned, armored one and handed over a translator. The blue alien examined the device for minute, then disassembled and reassembled it in a different shape, before handing it over to the red-skinned one, who placed it around one of the knobs around her head that too the place of her ears. She then walked up to Bailey.

"So, is this thing working?" she asked.

Bailey nodded. "Yes it is, uh…?"

"Admiral M'zan, here to see the Council," M'zan said with a smile.

Bailey nodded, less surprised by the alien's friendly nature and more by the fact that that other one had reconfigured a piece of machinery that he'd presumably never seen before, all in less than a minute. He also noticed that the other aliens had slipped their own translators under their hoods or attached to the sides of their helmets; he wondered why they didn't just take the helmets off.

_Might be a cultural thing, _he mused, _maybe their warriors don't show their faces… or maybe they're just shy._

"Of course, Admiral," Bailey said out loud, "Please follow me; since there are so many of us, we'll have to go in separate cars."

"I hope you don't mind if a few members of my security go with us?" M'zan asked, though from the look that Bailey saw in her eyes, it wouldn't go well if he refused, not that he planned to.

"Of course," he said, then gestured behind him, where several cars waited.

M'zan nodded at the black-armored person, then two of the hooded figures. "Blade Lead, General Kota, Starkiller, you're with me. Captain Rex, stay here with PROXY and guard the ship."

Bailey raised an eyebrow as the white-and-blue armored person and the synthetic both saluted and took up positions at the ramp of the ship.

_They don't seem nervous about splitting up, _he thought to himself, _Either they aren't concerned that we'd try to take their ship, or they don't think we're worth a heavier guard. Not sure if I like the second option._

The number of people meant that they needed four cars, which soon flew through the air, en route to the Council chambers. As he drove, Bailey decided to make idle chitchat. He hated silent car-rides.

"So, you're an Admiral, Ma'am?" he asked.

M'zan smiled. "Only got the rank a couple of years ago. The brass thought that having a mere Captain in charge of a battlegroup was a bad idea, so they promoted me."

"I saw your ship," Bailey said, "I was impressed; I haven't seen anything that could take down a Dreadnaught since…"

"Since what?" M'zan asked, when Bailey trailed off, until Kota subtly waved his hand, reaching out with the Force.

Bailey shook his head. "Well, the Citadel was attacked a couple years back by this giant ship, but we were able to take it down. Cost a lot of lives, though."

M'zan nodded sympathetically. "I know how that feels."

_Maybe these guys aren't so bad,_ Bailey thought, as the rest of the trip was spent in silence.

…

Once the cars landed and everyone got out, Bailey led M'zan, the Blades and the depleted Force Team to a large amphitheater-like room, where four people sat at a semicircular table. Aside from the disgruntled-looking, middle-aged Human, none of the species were recognizable.

There was an avian-looking being, whose head was covered in some sort of exoskeleton, and a pair of mandibles flared slightly at their arrival; on its face was a large amount of white face-paint. Only the upper half of its body was visible, and they were able to see the head was attached like a ball-and-socket to the large torso. Its arms were fairly lanky, and ended in three thick talons.

The next one would be considered a 'near-Human', and female, if they guessed right. Her skin was purple, and white marks dotted her face, much like Human freckles. Instead of hair, the top of her head was covered in short tentacles that swept backwards and didn't seem to move. There were no visible ears; instead, there was a series of ridges along the side of her head. She greeted the arrivals with a polite dip of her head.

Next, there was a very slender being in voluminous robes. Its face, the only part that showed any skin, was greenish-gray, and had a small mouth and wide eyes, which reminded them all of Wek's eyes. From their position, they could see two stubby horns jutting out of the top of its head, though if they had been level with the being, they would have been hidden by the hood.

"Greetings," the purple-skinned woman said pleasantly, "I am Councilor Tevos, of the Asari Republic, and I welcome you all to the Citadel."

"I am Councilor Sparatus, of the Turian Hierarchy," the avian being said stiffly, but said nothing more.

"You'll have to forgive Councilor Sparatus," the wide-eyed being said, a small amount of mirth in its voice, "He hasn't gotten over that you disabled one of his people's vessels in a single shot. I am Councilor Valern, of the Salarian Union."

"And I am Councilor Donnel Udina, of the Systems Alliance," the Human said gruffly, shooting the other Councilors a quick glare, as if he was expecting them to cut him off.

M'zan stepped forward and nodded respectfully, though inwardly she was already wary; all four of these people reminded her of Mon Mothma in some way, mostly because of the way they seemed to be sizing her up, calculating how they could get what they wanted. Well, if they wanted something that put her people at risk, she'd sooner stay lost, wherever they were.

"I am Admiral Rila M'zan, commanding officer of Battlegroup Maverick, of the New Republic," she then gestured to Kota, who was on her left, and Ryan, on her right, "This is Jedi Master and General Rahm Kota, and Blade Lead, Commander of the Outcast Blades."

The Councilors nodded briefly at the other two, but seemed focused on M'zan, probably because she was in charge overall.

"I hope that your brief conflict outside the Citadel will not affect any negotiations that we might have," Tevos said, "I'm sure we have much to learn from each other."

After years of attempted manipulation by Mon Mothma, M'zan could see what they were hoping for. When Tevos mentioned the 'conflict', and when M'zan thought about how their main guns seemed to be slug-throwers, this Council was probably hoping to obtain Maverick's technology.

"I'm sure," M'zan said in a neutral tone, "However, the first thing I need to do is make contact with my superiors and assure them that my people are safe."

"Of course," Sparatus said, grudging respect in his tone; Turians were a military people and highly disciplined, so informing superiors of sudden developments struck a chord with him.

"To that end," M'zan continued, "We seem to be out of range with the New Republic, and our star maps may have been disrupted when we… arrived here. If you could be so kind as to show us where we are in the galaxy, that would be a big help."

The Councilors glanced at each other; they saw no harm in that. If anything, helping these people get home would only curry favor with this 'New Republic'. If the different-looking species arrayed before them was any indication, it was an entire society of beings they'd never seen before.

"Here you are," Tevos said, activating her Omni-tool and bringing up a map of the galaxy, "I've marked where we are; perhaps that will give you a point of reference?"

M'zan said nothing, staring at the map with uncomprehending eyes. That… that wasn't possible! According to the map, they were between the Mid-Rim and the Core Worlds, but people would have known about a massive space station floating around there! Then she looked at the rest of the map; entire systems were missing, systems that were impossible to miss! What was going on?

"Excuse me for a moment, Councilors," M'zan said and, without waiting for an answer, took off her translator, as did the rest of her escort.

…

"What do you make of this?" M'zan asked in Huttese, just in case, "This is all wrong!"

"I'm not sure," Bitters admitted in the same language, looking at the map again, "I mean, the whole Corellian System is just… gone. The same thing for about a dozen other systems I recognize."

"I have a theory," Sera said, drawing all eyes to her, "In a review of the facts: we have encountered a space station in an area that we know does not house such a station, we fought against an unknown vessel that used technology that is not only different but vastly inferior—after all, that ship that the _Vengeance _disabled was supposed to be a Dreadnaught, but we know that Dreadnaughts are much larger than that—and entire sections of the galaxy appear to be missing."

"What's your point?" Ahsoka asked.

Sera seemed to hesitate for a moment. "I believe that we are… in another galaxy."

Everyone stared at her.

"That's… that's not possible!" Ryan said, "I thought travel to other galaxies was beyond our… oh."

"Oh?" Tanith repeated, "What's the 'oh' for?"

"The Highway," Ryan said slowly, "It must have created some kind of temporary wormhole, and we got caught in it. Somehow, that sent us to… another galaxy."

"Is that even possible?" M'zan asked.

Ryan shrugged. "It was an exploding wormhole; who knows?"

"What are the odds that there would be Humans in another galaxy?" Wek asked, referring to the Humans they'd seen.

"I'm not even going to try thinking about that," Tanith said, "I mean, the chances of the same species evolving the same way in two different galaxies… the odds would have to be astronomical!"

"Maybe we should just ask them," M'zan said, putting her translator back on; as the others followed suit, she turned back to the Council.

…

"I wonder what that's all about?" Sparatus murmured, even though the aliens had removed their translators and couldn't understand him.

"I'm not sure," Tevos admitted, "Perhaps they found out that they're much further from home than they thought."

"Logical assumption," Valern said, "The Admiral's eyes were looking at various sectors of the galaxy, as if looking for landmarks. Perhaps they thought that the galaxy was much larger than they thought."

Udina said nothing, choosing instead to observe the aliens as they talked. This Admiral M'zan disturbed him more than he'd admit; she was just _too _Human in her appearance, speech and mannerisms. Not even the Asari had been like that, and until now, they had been the most Human-like aliens in the galaxy. As he noticed that all the aliens in front of him had the same basic anatomy that Humans did—about the same size, five fingers, forward-bending knees—he wondered just how many aliens were more like Humans than he thought.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when M'zan turned back to the Council, her translator in place.

"I apologize for that," she said, her half-smile back in place, "We recently came to a rather startling conclusion about where we are."

"Oh, and what would that conclusion be?" Tevos asked.

"First, a question for you," M'zan said, "What do you know about wormholes?"

Tevos, Sparatus and Udina looked confused, but Valern raised his three-fingered hand, like he was a student in a class.

"Wormholes are supposed tunnels through space-time, allowing instant transportation from one place to another. Why?"

M'zan looked at Ryan and Kota, both of whom nodded.

"About two hours ago, we assaulted an artificial wormhole-generator that had been completed by our enemies," she said, "If they had completed it, we would have been outmaneuvered to the point that trying to fight back would be suicide. We destroyed the generator just as it activated; the resulting phenomenon sent us here…" M'zan took a deep breath; here was the moment of truth.

"To another galaxy."

In any other situation, M'zan would have found the synchronized blinking on the Council's part to be hilarious, but not now; everyone present was in unknown territory.

"That's…" Valern sputtered, "That's absurd! Travel between galaxies is impossible! The amount of Element Zero required to cross the dark space between galaxies would be infeasible!"

"Not to interrupt," the man known as Blade Lead said, stepping forward, "But what's Element Zero?"

"The primary fuel of all equipment," Valern said, almost as if he was reading from a textbook.

Blade Lead looked at the others, who shrugged. "Yeah, we don't have that, I think; our ships' power cores use a different kind of energy."

Valern blinked again; in the shock of the announcement that these people were from another galaxy, he had forgotten that their technology wasn't powered by eezo.

"What is your proof that you are from another galaxy?" Tevos asked as calmly as she could.

M'zan pointed at the galaxy map again. "You have none of the systems that we're familiar with. In fact, your whole galaxy seems, well, smaller than ours. No offense."

Blade Lead spoke up. "If this Citadel thing existed in our galaxy, we'd know about it. There aren't that many space stations that are this big. Well, there were a couple, but they got blown up. However, I have one question that I think a lot of us on our side are wondering."

"And that would be?" Sparatus asked.

Blade Lead pointed at Udina. "Do you think we could have a sample of your DNA?"

Everyone who was native to this galaxy stared.

"Excuse me!?" Udina demanded, "What kind of request is that!?"

"Well, it's just that…" Blade Lead seemed to be smirking under his helmet, "You're Human."

"What's your point?" Sparatus asked, "What does a Human have to do with anything?"

Blade Lead looked at M'zan, who nodded. The members of the escort removed their hoods and helmets, and more than a few gasps of shock were heard.

Once he moved the translator from his helmet to his ear, Blade Lead smiled. "My name is Ryan Nimbus, Commander of the Outcast Blades… and one of a few trillion Humans in our galaxy."

The Council, along with everyone else, simply stared. Most of them were Human! There was simply too many impossible things happening today; first a group of people with energy-based weapons that could take down a Dreadnaught, then they claimed to be from another galaxy, one with supposedly _trillions _of Humans?

For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then, to the surprise of everyone present, Councilor Sparatus began to laugh.

"Is this it?" he asked, then turned to the Human Councilor, "Is this your big plan to scare us, Udina? Have a bunch of Humans dress up in strange outfits, make some of them wear costumes to make them look like other species, and then use them to display your new weapons, all under the pretense of being from another galaxy!? Oh, I knew you Humans had gall, but not like this!"

Ryan scratched his head in confusion. "Um, I think I speak for everyone in the room when I say: huh?"

"Attention, C-Sec!" Sparatus then corrected himself. "All _non-Human _members of C-Sec: arrest these fools!"

A dozen Turian and Asari officers surrounded M'zan, Force Team and the Blades, weapons drawn.

"Wek," Ryan muttered as he reached for his carbine, "I think you're about to win the bet…"

**Cliffhanger! I know, I'm an evil bastard. Rest assured, the next chapter won't be like that. Probably.**

**So, there were a few things that I wasn't completely sure about, and I was just making an educated guess or relying on things I might have read years ago.**

**I'm not sure if Talviran (if that's even how it's spelled) is the language I was thinking of. I'm fairly certain, but not positive. If you know the real answer, please (politely) correct me, and I will make the necessary adjustments. The same can be said for the Element Zero facts. If I was wrong, please let me know so that I can change it. The same could be said for any error; please say something (politely) so that I don't make the same mistake again.**

**Next time, the Council are idiots, and the Star Wars guys show 'em why.**

**Leave a review, favorite or follow, please!**

**I'd like to thank Judge Royce for this quote:**

**I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite Muffin on the Citadel.**


	3. Meeting the Natives, Part 2

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONG TO ME, AND THOSE WHO TRY TO STEAL THEM WILL BE HIT MY THE SAME MASS ACCELERATOR THAT CREATED THE 'GREAT RIFT' OF KLENDAGON.**

**Something that I would like you all to do: I don't want to make any conflict between ME and SW to be a total beat-down on the SW part. I know that Star Wars has a major technological advantage, but I don't want it to be too bad. Unless everyone agrees that SW would own ME.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 3

Meeting the Natives, Part 2

**The Citadel**

For a brief moment, Ryan lamented that nearly everywhere he and his friends went, they always got into a fight. It was a depressing fact that he could count on one hand the number of places he had gone to where he hadn't employed violence. As the Asari and Turian C-Sec officers surrounded them, Ryan figured that today would be no different.

Still, that didn't mean that they had to kill anyone.

"Disabling shots only," he hissed, "Force Team, disarm them and we'll take 'em down; keep the Admiral safe."

As one officer, a Turian, reached for his arm, Ryan moved. In a single, fluid motion, he gripped the Turian's wrist, moved to the side and drove his palm into the elbow. The sound of breaking bone could be clearly heard, before Ryan punched the Turian in the face, then threw him across the room.

Then all hell broke loose. With a _snap-hiss_, Kota activated his emerald lightsaber, Starkiller activated his blue blade and Ahsoka activated her green saber and her shorter, blue _shoto _saber. Faster than most beings could react, the three Jedi moved past the officers; when they passed, the rifles and pistols that the C-Sec personnel had been drawing fell to the floor in several pieces.

With their adversaries disarmed, the Outcast Blades moved in to engage in close-combat. Wek ducked under a blow from his own Turian opponent, then kicked the officer in the side of the knee with a _beskar _boot. The Turian stumbled, allowing Wek to grab him by the same leg and heave, knocking him onto his head and rendering him unconscious. Sera detached her cannon from its cable and hurled it at an Asari, who caught it out of reflex; the Asari hadn't counted on the cannon being so heavy, however, and nearly broke her arms trying. By the time she had registered all of this, Sera had closed in and kicked upwards, her boot connecting with the Asari's chin, sending her flying. Tanith had slipped under a Turian's guard and used a cutting-torch to slice open his armor, before punching with her entire weight behind the blow, sending him falling down a flight of stairs and colliding head-first with the wall. Bitters didn't even try to be subtle; with a primal roar, he slammed into a Turian, taking him to the ground and kept punching until the officer stopped moving, a trickle of blue blood coming from his mouth.

Ryan moved on to another opponent; in this case, it was an Asari who was backing away, trembling. As Ryan got closer, the Asari held out her hand which, to Ryan's surprise, some kind of purple energy surrounded it! Before he could react, a fist-sized sphere of energy shot forth from the Asari's hand and struck him in the chest, knocking him onto his back, but he recovered by rolling to his feet in a crouch; a second's glance at his armor showed no damage, save for scratching up the black paint. He then drew his blaster pistol with his left hand and fired twice, a blaster bolt for each of the Asari's legs; with a scream of pain, she fell to the ground, clutching her wounds.

With a look around, Ryan saw that the fight was basically over; the non-Human C-Sec officers were on the ground, and wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. The ones that hadn't been taken down by the Blades had been beaten by the swift punches and kicks of Kota, Starkiller and Ahsoka; even M'zan stood victoriously over an Asari, her blaster pointed at the officer's head.

"Do we need to take this further?" M'zan asked the dumbstruck Council, "We are who we claim to be; claiming that we're spies or actors is only going to get on our nerves."

Out of the corner of his eye, Starkiller noticed that one of the Human C-Sec officers—they had stood back during the fight, unsure what to do—was now heading for him. On reflex, he reached out with the Force and lifted the Human into the air. If the Council hadn't been amazed before, they were now; to them, such a thing could only be achieved with biotics, but there was no Mass Effect field around the floating Human.

Just who were those people?

"P-please," the floating Human said, "I was just trying to help Aera!"

"Who?" Starkiller asked, not putting the man down yet.

"T-the Asari in front of you!"

Starkiller looked down at the tear-streaked face of the Asari at his feet; he had broken her leg with a Force-enhanced kick, as well as fractured her jaw, if the swelling was anything to go by. Gently, he lowered the officer back to the ground, where he dashed over to the Asari and activated his Omni-tool. Since Starkiller wasn't getting a warning from the Force, he didn't react at the orange hologram that suddenly covered the man's hand and forearm like a gauntlet.

"Don't worry, Aera," the man said in a reassuring tone, "I'm administering some medi-gel; you'll be just fine."

A strange goo was sprayed onto the wounds from the Omni-tool; a few seconds later, the Asari stood up, wincing slightly.

"Thank you, Harold," the Asari said with a smile.

Ryan shifted his gaze from the exchange to Bitters, who was watching with undisguised interest.

_He's probably wondering what that stuff is, and how it healed her so quickly, _he thought, _then again, I'm curious, too._

Tevos was the fastest to recover from her shock, and the first thing she did was glare at her Turian counterpart.

"Councilor Sparatus, what you did was beyond absurd," she said, her normally calm voice filled with venom, "Sending C-Sec to attack these people just because their story is strange is beyond ridiculous! If it was the truth you wanted, I could have answered it with a simple meld!"

Sparatus froze, his eyes darting first from Tevos to the newcomers. "… Oh."

Ryan looked from Sparatus to Tevos. "What's this 'meld' thing? What does it do?"

Tevos turned to him. "I would link my mind to yours and we would be able to view each other's memories."

"You'd be reading our minds?" M'zan asked dubiously, even as she stepped in front of Ryan, "No offense, but I don't feel comfortable having someone rifling through my head, or anyone under my command, for that matter."

Sparatus huffed. "At this point, that would be the only thing that _might _convince me. If it makes you feel any better, you can choose who the Councilor melds with."

"Though I'd prefer to meld with a Human," Tevos cut in, "Asari have melded with them before without any problems. As we have never melded with your species, Admiral, I do not wish to accidentally cause a medical issue."

Ryan tapped M'zan on the shoulder, turning her around. "Admiral, you have sensitive information in your mind, I don't. I'm the best candidate to do this, especially if it's our best chance to avoid a fight… well, another fight, anyway."

M'zan looked uncomfortable, even though she knew he was right. Though Ryan was considered a leader within Maverick, he was not privy to any classified information, unless it was part of one of the Blades' missions. He was the best person to do this.

However, as Ryan walked over to Tevos, he was joined by Ahsoka, who gave a warning look at the Asari.

"Just so you're aware," she said in a low voice, "I'll know if you do anything to hurt him… and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Tevos, for all her centuries of keeping a straight face in difficult situations, gulped when she glanced that the still-activated lightsabers in the Togrutan's hands.

"I promise, the meld is harmless," she said, then placed her hands gently on the sides of Ryan's face, trying not to be disturbed by his glowing cybernetic.

"I should give you a fair warning," Ryan said, "I don't have the most pleasant of memories for the last few years."

Tevos nodded, and then her eyes turned black. "Embrace Eternity!"

For a few seconds, the two just stood there, not moving. Around them, the recovering C-Sec officers barely even breathed. They knew that if they could have been easily slaughtered by these people, so they weren't even going to breathe heavily, if it meant upping their chances of survival.

Finally, the two separated; Tevos took a deep breath to steady herself, while Ryan swayed slightly for a moment before recovering.

"It seems you were right, Commander Nimbus," Tevos said, "Your memories, especially for certain events, were intense, to say the least."

"Told you," Ryan said with a smirk, then placed his helmet back on his head.

"Well, Councilor?" Udina asked impatiently, "Are they telling the truth? Are they really from another galaxy?"

Tevos hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "They are. We should be somewhat grateful; nearly any of the people here would probably have killed most of us before being taken down, and some would never have been stopped at all."

Everyone from the same galaxy as Ryan stood a little straighter at his opinion of them.

Sparatus sighed. He knew when he was facing a losing battle; Tevos had been swayed by what she had seen in the meld, Valern had probably been convinced when he saw their technology, and Udina seemed to be accepting as well.

"Very well," Sparatus sighed, "I formally apologize for ordering C-Sec to attack you."

Kota stepped in front of them and deactivated his lightsaber. "Perhaps we can start over. You are looking out for the security of your peoples. We can understand that, and besides, no one is seriously hurt. I am sure that we have much to learn from each other."

All of the Councilors, Sparatus included, could recognize an olive branch when they saw it.

"Of course," Tevos said, speaking for all of them, "Perhaps a cultural or historical exchange? We don't know the first thing about your government, and I didn't get too much from Commander Nimbus, and your first encounter with our own certainly wasn't the most pleasant."

As the other Jedi deactivated their lightsabers, and the Blades weren't reaching for their weapons any more—save for Sera, who was reattaching her cannon to its cable—the Council came out from behind their table to approach.

Valern cleared his throat. "Much has happened. I suggest we retire after exchanging information and reconvene in… six hours?"

He glanced at the other Councilors when he said that last part, getting nods of agreement.

"That sounds all right," M'zan said, then turned to Wek, "Blade Three, can you get a historical summary of the last thirty years or so on a datapad? And can you get it in Talviran?"

Wek nodded, then pulled out a datapad. After connecting to the _Vengeance_'s computers and a few minutes of typing, he handed the datapad over to Valern.

"I'll want that datapad back later," he told the Salarian, who nodded; after seeing what these people were capable of, he wasn't going to do anything to make them angry.

Valern activated his Omni-tool and scanned the contents of the datapad, then transferred it to the other Councilors' Omni-tools. Then he handed the datapad back to Wek, who took it with a small amount of surprise.

"Or you could give it back now," he said, then glanced at the Omni-tool, "Say, what is that thing?"

"Omni-tool," Valern said, raising his arm to give the Nautolan a better look, "Most people in the… in _our _galaxy have one."

Wek nodded appreciatively. "Holographic interface; very nice. I saw similar interfaces on several doors on the way here; is that standard technology here?"

Valern nodded and smiled. "Indeed. You don't use something similar?"

Wek shrugged. "We just prefer thick doors."

"Councilor Valern, a moment please," Tevos said, gesturing to a side-room, "Can you join us, so that we can make sure that we aren't sharing sensitive information?"

Valern nodded at Wek once again, then turned to join the other Councilors, leaving the Jedi, Admiral M'zan and the Blades alone with the disarmed C-Sec officers.

Ryan turned to Commander Bailey. "What's with split between species?"

Bailey gave him a strange look. "What, you don't have racial tensions in your galaxy?"

Ryan looked at his friends and comrades. "Maybe a little, but not to the point of excluding other species from law-enforcement."

Bailey snorted. "Yeah, well, there are still a lot of tensions between us and the aliens." He then noticed the dark looks being sent his way. "Something I said?"

"A word of warning, Commander," Ryan said darkly, "Where we're from, calling someone an alien is very, _very _insulting. People have been shot for that."

Bailey looked at the non-Human people—the ones from another galaxy—who were still shooting him dirty looks; Ahsoka and Starkiller were gripping the hilts of their lightsabers very tightly.

"Sorry about that," Bailey said. _It had to be visitors from another galaxy. I'd take a drug-bust or a shootout over this kind of crap any day._

…

"Is there a particular reason you had us meet here?" Udina asked as he and the rest of the Council sat down, "There really isn't much to do, is there? The Codex was created for situations like this, to give newly-discovered races an easy way to familiarize themselves with the galaxy at large."

"I called this meeting because of what I saw in Commander Nimbus' mind," Tevos said, "We can't treat this as a normal first contact. In their galaxy, Humans have been the standard species that all others are compared to for thousands of years. In particular, these people have been fighting a war against a government that did several things that we, the Council, have done in the past. If we are not careful about how we distribute information, they may view us in the same light!"

"Just because they disabled a Dreadnaught in one shot doesn't mean that we can't beat them!" Sparatus exclaimed, "The Citadel Fleet has hundreds of ships!"

"And those people have gone up against weapons that can destroy _planets_!" Tevos said in a raised voice, "They won't be intimidated by a group that they consider primitive, no matter how outnumbered they are, and if necessary, they will fight to the last."

Sparatus nodded. "It makes sense. We don't want to antagonize them."

Valern felt torn. "I am not sure. What if they find out about the deception? The backlash could be even worse."

"I agree," Udina said, "If we are open with them from the start, that could show that we are willing to work with them."

"I appreciate your concern, Councilor," Tevos said, "But as the newest member of the Council, Humanity has no say in our policies yet."

Despite his misgivings, Valern saw that two of the three Councilors—the ones that they considered to matter, at least—were already agreed, and decided to side with the people he knew.

Udina, on the other hand, was fuming. The Alliance had given so much to the galaxy, its greatest hero had saved the lives of the Council, and indeed, the entire galaxy, but still they were pushed aside when the big decisions were being made, even when they were a part of the group that _made _the decisions! On top of that, Udina knew that airing the Council's dirty laundry would at least show the New Republic that they acknowledged their darker points in history. Keeping it secret would only make it worse. At the very least, Udina had to get the Alliance out of the way of any blowback.

And then it hit him. He knew of a way to get the Alliance into the New Republic's good books, and even potentially gain them as an ally.

"Very well," he sighed, playing the part of the defeated politician, "If that is the Council's decision, I will abide by it."

The other three Councilors looked at him in surprise.

"I thought you would fight this decision, Udina," Sparatus said.

Udina shrugged. "I am not Admiral Anderson, Councilors; I know when to withdraw from a losing battle."

Tevos nodded. "Very gracious of you, Councilor. Now, let us turn our attention to what we should, and should _not_ let our… guests see."

While the non-Human Councilors talked, Udina readied his secret weapon. He had been told by his… friend, that he could use the virus that had been placed in his Omni-tool to view any piece of legislature that the rest of the Council tried to sneak past him. Today, however, he would take it one step further; he set the virus to deliver a message at the very end of the edited history, and would not appear until the entire message had been read. It was a bit of a risk, but he had been assured that not even the Salarian Special Tasks Group could crack that virus.

With the other three Councilors were busy, Udina tapped a few keys on his Omni-tool, ostensibly to organize his calendar, but in reality, he was sending the virus. After a few moments, he was done, and he sat back to wait for the rest of the Council's plan to blow up in their faces, while the Alliance reaped the benefits.

…

"It's taking them a while to get a simple history lesson," Tanith grumbled as she and the others waited.

"Oh, this is nothing," Bailey said, having overheard her, "The Council once debated for three whole hours on what kind of color carpeting a room should have."

"What did they decide on?" M'zan asked.

Bailey laughed bitterly. "They didn't decide on a color, because they then chose to let it remain a tile floor. Three hours wasted on absolutely nothin'."

"And this is why I'm glad I'm a mercenary," Wek said, causing Bailey to look at him.

"You're a merc?"

The Outcast Blades each raised a hand.

"All five of us are," Ryan said, "Though personally, I prefer the term 'paid volunteer'."

"Huh," Bailey looked at all of them, "I thought, with that armor, you were all part of some commando unit, especially with how you took down my officers as quickly as you did. Most mercs couldn't do that, at least, not in hand-to-hand."

The Blades tried not to laugh.

"No offense," Bitters said, "but your mercs must be really terrible."

"Then again," Bailey said, "Most people don't train for extensive close-combat. The only people that I know that do that as a mandatory thing are the Krogan, but they usually just punch, stomp or headbutt people."

Before any further comments could be made, the Council reemerged, and handed M'zan a datapad of their own.

"Commander Bailey, please wait outside to escort our guests back to their transport," Tevos said. Once C-Sec's presence was gone, she continued. "Admiral, that datapad has our own abbreviated history. We just had to make sure that certain sensitive material was not added in."

M'zan nodded. "Oh, don't worry, we did the same thing, removed certain names, numbers, things like that. All the major events are in there, though."

Tevos smiled, but it was a smile that M'zan, the Blades and Force Team knew well; it was the smile of a triumphant politician, and from their experiences with Mon Mothma, it was a smile to be wary of.

Just as they were about to leave, however, Councilor Udina spoke up. "Excuse me, I was wondering: do you still want a DNA sample?"

M'zan shrugged. "If you don't mind; it would be interesting to see just how closely-related the Humans from our galaxy are to you and yours."

"If you want," Ryan said, "You can take DNA from one of us, so you can draw your own conclusions." It was then that Ryan noticed that everyone from his galaxy was looking at him.

"What?"

"Thanks for volunteering," Bitters said, before driving an extractor into Ryan's neck.

"OW! What the hell!?" Ryan cried, as the medic handed over a small vial of blood to Udina, before performing the same process, albeit much more gently, on the Councilor.

After M'zan, Force Team and the Blades were escorted out, the Councilors—at least, Tevos, Valern and Sparatus—shared a victorious smile. It was only after he retired to his quarters that Udina allowed his own smile to appear.

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_**, Several Hours Later**

It had been an interesting first hour as the officers of Battlegroup Maverick reviewed what the Council had given them. Very rarely were all them gathered in one room; most of the time, they kept to their own ships, unless M'zan felt that all of them should have dinner after a particularly successful mission or something.

Sitting at M'zan's right was Maverick's second-in-command, Captain Reval Fibb. A Mon Calamari who had served under Admiral Ackbar for years, Fibb was the Captain of the _Tides of Change_, and was often the voice of reason that counterpointed M'zan's extremely aggressive tactics.

Next to him was the Captain of the _Ocean's Majesty_, the younger Mon Calamari Saff Tand. The newest addition to Maverick, Tand had always pushed himself, his ship and his crew to their limit, in order to prove themselves. Over the years, they had done so with flying colors.

Leaning back in her chair was Captain Mia Foon. A pale-skinned, dark-haired Human from Corellia, she was the Captain of the Corellian Corvette _Lucky Hand_. Befitting the name of her ship, Mia—she hated to be called by her last name—was a notorious gambler, but only because she won so often. The only person she ever lost to was Han Solo, a sore point that she had grumbled about for years.

Rarely seen outside of his own ship, Captain Oln of the Corellian Corvette _Bright Light _glared at Mia; unlike his fellow Captain, he was very professional, sitting ramrod-straight and waiting for Admiral M'zan to speak. A green-skinned male Twi'lek, Oln had deep respect for Maverick's commanding officer, even if she was far more informal that he'd like.

The last two captains were the 'twins', Captains Li'qo and Bin, of the _Brave _and _Bold_, respectively. The former was a gray-furred Bothan, and Bin was a dark-skinned Corellian; both had grown up together, and knew everything about the other. During combat, they were able to use their knowledge of the other to know when and where they would move their ships; together, they were a formidable tag-team.

The last members of the war-council were General Kota and Ryan, who were the only ground-based commanders; it was rare for any of the Marines in Maverick to set foot on a planet for a mission.

"So," M'zan began, "how did your crews react to the news?"

As soon as M'zan and her escort had returned to the _Vengeance_, she had told the other officers what had happened, and where they were. She had left the Captains the duty of informing their crews that they were in another galaxy, with no idea how to get back.

Fibb was the first to speak. "They were shocked, of course, but they seemed relieved that we've ended up somewhere with civilization, and I'm inclined to agree. We could have ended up in Dark Space; I'd rather get lost in _any _galaxy over being lost in the void between them."

The other Captains voiced similar opinions. M'zan nodded, satisfied; when she had told her own crew about what happened, all they said was that they were glad to be alive.

"Admiral," Li'qo said, raising a hand, "how are we going to proceed with this Citadel Council? We have no idea what they want."

"Actually, we do," Kota said, "It wasn't too hard to discern their intentions. Councilor Sparatus clearly just wants us gone; he saw the weapons we possess to be a threat to their superiority."

"Considering that the _Vengeance _took down one of their best ships with a single shot, I'm not surprised," Ryan commented.

Kota nodded before continuing. "Valern seems willing to work with us, but only so that his people can examine our technology."

"Never going to happen," M'zan said firmly, "If things go sour, I'm not going to give up any advantage. They won't get a single weapon or shield design from us."

"Agreed," Kota said, "The people of this galaxy are extremely divided by species barriers, and the balance of power hangs by a thread. Any change in that balance could set off a galactic war, and I think that we've all had enough of those.

"But moving on, I believe that Tevos is the one to watch out for; she sees us not as a threat to galactic security, but a threat to her own people's superiority. From the way the other Councilors were treating her, I'd say that she and her people have the most clout.

"Sparatus, his actions earlier notwithstanding, was doing his duty as the strong arm of the Council. His own stubbornness and pride got in the way of common sense. I believe that if he got over his own failings, he could be a potential ally, but only if he made the first move; any actions on our part to get on the Turians' good side would look like a sign of weakness."

"What about the Human Councilor?" Mia asked, "Udina, wasn't it?"

"Before you say anything, General, I have something to say about that," Ryan took a breath before speaking. "I had Bitters run an analysis of the DNA sample that Udina provided, and it turns out that the Humans of both galaxies aren't exactly identical. There's a point-zero-zero-three difference in our genetic structure, so, since _our _Humans have been around longer, at least by the history provided, these guys would be considered a sub-species. Bitters' words, not mine, but I wouldn't repeat them in front of our hosts."

"Speaking of history provided," M'zan said, taking over, "I'm sure you all read the material the Council provided?" after getting a series of nods, she continued, "Well, when I saw that message at the end, I had Blade Three do some searching. Apparently, the 'history' the Council gave us shows all of the good things that have happened over the last few centuries, but not the bad. Thankfully, we were able to access this 'Extranet' that exists in this galaxy—it's actually not too different in function from our own Holonet.

"I'm sending you the _real _version of this galaxy's history here to you now." M'zan tapped at her datapad, then sent the information to her Captains.

Tand raised a webbed hand. "Admiral, as good as it is to have the truth, what did this have to do with Councilor Udina?"

M'zan smirked. "Apparently, it was Udina who told us about the rest of the Council withholding information."

"The rest of the Council must have wanted him to keep quiet," Fibb said gravely.

"Well, I'm glad that he didn't," Ryan said, waving his own datapad for emphasis, "Thanks to the Extranet, we know more about these people than they probably ever wanted us to find. This 'Codex' of theirs is exactly what we needed."

"Despite this betrayal from most of the Council," Kota said, "We cannot just sit in this galaxy without allies."

"Well, I'm not sure that I want to be close to Sparatus," M'zan said darkly.

Kota nodded. "He could be a problem, but it's Tevos who is the untrustworthy one. Valern is cautious; I believe that he will side with the rest of the Council until he gets more information on us. Udina, on the other hand, may be our best bet; he's a coward at the core, but at the moment, he's trying to do what's best for his people."

"From what the Codex says about the Systems Alliance, and what I've read about the other major players," Ryan said, "I'd have to agree with General Kota; Udina may be our only friend right now."

M'zan sighed. "All right, we'll ask for a safe haven in Alliance space; in return for that and anything that might get us home, I'll consider sharing certain technologies. Like I said before, however, weapons and defenses are off the table.

"Captain Oln," she said, "How are we looking in terms of supplies?"

Having a head for numbers, Oln was unofficially Maverick's quartermaster. While each ship had its own official member for that task, Oln was an expert at dividing supplies appropriately.

He looked at another datapad. "We set out fully stocked; we've got plenty of power-packs, ammunition such as torpedoes and missiles, and we have enough food to last almost a year. Between our fabricators and spare parts, we could last about a year by ourselves, and that's including heavy combat. We could probably barter certain things from the Alliance to supplement what we have."

M'zan nodded. "All right, people, return to your ships; Kota, Ryan, gather your teams and head back to the _Desperate_. It's time to make our position clear."

…

**The Citadel**

"Councilors, Admiral M'zan is on her way here, along with her escort."

Tevos nodded, dismissing the C-Sec officer—Asari, much to her pleasure—who had delivered the news.

"Well, what do you think of our guests?" she asked the other Councilors.

"I find this 'Galactic Empire' to be a bit ridiculous," Sparatus admitted, "This so-called Emperor started a galactic war just so that he could eliminate these 'Jedi'."

"I noticed that General Kota was introduced as a Jedi Master," Valern said, "Judging from the attire and energy-sword, I would say that the other two are Jedi as well."

"But one of them wasn't even Human!" Sparatus said.

Valern shrugged. "The data said that the Jedi Order was an organization, not a species—an organization of peacekeepers, I might add."

"There was also the matter of this Empire being pro-Human," Sparatus said, shooting Udina a look.

For his part, Udina only smirked. "And if _you _had read the file past the 'all-Human' part, you would know that the founders of the Rebellion that fought against the Empire were all Human as well. And before you say anything, Admiral M'zan seems to the leader of this group, and she _isn't _Human."

Sparatus opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again. Every argument he made was shot down by pure logic; the only reason he kept it up at this point was due to his own Turian stubbornness. If anything, he found himself warming up to the New Republic; the courage it must have taken to stand up to a regime that controlled most of their galaxy with nothing but decades-old technology and raw determination resonated with his military upbringing. The Rebellion's bravery would put many Turians to shame.

Valern had no animosity towards the New Republic, just curiosity about their sciences. In particular, the Jedi fascinated him; they seemed similar to biotics, but more graceful and yet utterly more powerful. He just hoped that he would get a chance to learn more… provided the Council's deception didn't backfire.

Tevos, on the other hand, was fuming. She found herself hating the New Republic; the Asari had been creating beautiful cities when Humans were still discovering fire, but these _other _Humans had been creating ships capable of faster-than-light travel before the Asari had ever considered spaceflight. It was infuriating to see any species more advanced than her own.

Udina found himself liking the New Republic, at least, the ones he'd met; they seemed to have a balance between the patience that politicians enjoyed, but were more than willing to jump into action, whereas the rest of the Council seemed content to drag its feet. Despite his differences with the man, Udina found himself sympathizing with the previous Human Councilor, Admiral David Anderson; the poor man had had to endure this for over two years!

As Admiral M'zan stepped into the Council chambers, the Councilors noticed something disturbing. There was a smile on M'zan's face, but it wasn't a friendly smile; it was the smile of a predator that was about to catch its prey.

"Councilors," she said, nodding respectfully, though the Councilors noted that she kept her eyes on Udina, as if she was only speaking to him.

"Admiral," Tevos said, speaking for all of them, then nodded at the woman's escort, "General Kota, Commander Nimbus."

It was then that the Council saw that the escort's number had grown; a Human woman with blond hair, black clothing and a pistol at her hip, a white-and-blue armored being whose species was concealed by the helmet he wore, armed with a pair of pistols and a scoped rifle on his back, and a purple synthetic of all things, which had a pair of the same silver tubes as the Jedi at its waist.

"Shall we get down to business?" M'zan asked, the same smile on her face.

"Yes, let's," Sparatus said, then took a deep breath. "I would like to start by formally apologizing to both you, Admiral, and the Systems Alliance, for the rash actions that I and the Turian Hierarchy made. While I find parts of your story to be… difficult to believe, what I did was uncalled for."

Neither the New Republic personnel nor the rest of the Council had expected that, if the looks of surprise were anything to go by.

"Well, since no one on our side was hurt, I think we can forgive you for that," M'zan said graciously, "And I suppose that we should offer our own apology for injuring your security."

Tevos gave a genuine smile; though Sparatus' words were unexpected, they were definitely starting this meeting on a good note.

"Now that that's over," M'zan said, her smile growing downright feral, "Do you mind explaining why you tried lying to us?"

The Council froze.

"What are you talking about?" Valern asked, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew the answer.

"Well, maybe 'lied' is too strong," M'zan conceded, "But you _did _try to conceal a good chunk of your history.

"Unleashing a sterility-plague on the Krogan? Not allowing the Quarians to colonize a new world, even though anyone who had anything to do with the creation of the Geth died out centuries ago? Not investigating the abduction of hundreds of thousands of Humans, claiming that they 'knew the risks'? If you had come clean about this, we would have disapproved of what you did, but we would have moved on. Do you keep every new person you meet in the dark, or is it just us?"

Tevos glanced at the other Councilors. Sparatus, being a Turian, couldn't sweat, but he was definitely nervous. Valern simply sighed, having expected this reaction. Udina had a look on his face that said 'I told you so'. For her part, Tevos was just frustrated; her people had been manipulating the lesser races for centuries, millennia in some cases, and having those same manipulations so casually smashed aside bothered her more than she cared to admit.

"Despite how annoyed I am," M'zan continued, "I'm not so prideful as to say that my people can survive on our own in a completely foreign galaxy. We need a place to stay; more importantly, if it's possible, we need help to get back home."

Tevos felt a surge of hope; maybe they could salvage something from this mess after all.

M'zan dashed those hopes when she turned to the Human Councilor. "Councilor Udina, would it be possible for my people to be granted asylum in Alliance space?"

Udina looked like he had just been told he was inheriting a fortune, while the other Councilors felt varying levels of disappointment, anger, and in the case of Tevos, dread. Humanity had done in decades what most other species had taken centuries to do, and now they were getting allies in the form the New Republic?

"I will have to confirm it with my government," Udina said, "but I don't believe that they will turn you away. If you would be so kind, I would gladly meet you at your transport once I am done, to discuss some of the details."

M'zan glanced at the three Jedi, who nodded, and then she smiled at Udina. "I have no problems with that. Just please don't take too long; I don't like to stay away from my ship."

Without another word, the New Republic envoy left. As soon as they were gone, Tevos glared at Udina.

"Councilor, what did you do!?"

"I didn't do anything," Udina said, leaning back in his chair, "Those people are smart, Tevos, smart enough to check the facts; I couldn't help but notice that when you edited the historical information, you just left several centuries worth of text empty, rather than replace it with outright lies. Were you honestly expecting them to just assume that nothing happened during those centuries?"

Now Sparatus and Valern were glaring, but not at Udina. It had been Tevos who had been in charge of the editing in the end; this entire debacle was all her fault!

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Udina said, getting up, "I have to tell my government that they should expect guests soon."

It took all of Tevos' willpower not to grind her teeth. Well, at least there was one thing she could do to gain an advantage…

…

An hour later, Udina arrived at the hangar; after a moment of staring at the _Desperate Measures_, he approached the New Republic envoy.

"Councilor, glad to see you made it," M'zan said with a hint of impatience, "What did your government say?"

Udina smiled. "First of all, the Alliance has decided to offer you safe haven at the Luna Base, which is located on Earth's moon. Earth is the Human homeworld, in case you were wondering."

"That's good," M'zan said, relief in her voice.

"In addition, the Alliance will be sending several of our best physicists, astrogation-experts and engineers to see if anything that can be done to get you home. Of course, there are some conditions to this."

"Figures," M'zan muttered.

"The first thing we would like to do," Udina said, "Is keep the matter of your true origins a secret from the general public."

"Why's that?" Rex asked.

"There are some… well, the best term would be 'fanatics'," Udina admitted, "Who see it as Humanity's divine right to spread across the stars. If they found out that Humans existed in another galaxy… well, we're having a hard-enough time keeping them from doing something stupid."

"Understandable," Ryan said, "but what about the people who've already seen us? I mean, how many got a good look at our ships?"

Udina shrugged. "You'd be surprised what the Council has swept under the rug. Anyway, there are a few other matters; obviously, the Alliance isn't doing this for free…"

"I'm going to stop you right there," M'zan said, holding up a hand, "I know what you're going to ask, and I'll say now that any weapons or defensive technologies are off-limits."

"I thought you'd say that," Udina said, disappointed, "I had to ask. However, anything you _can _share would be appreciated."

"We'll have to discuss it later," M'zan told him, "For now, why don't we just head to this Luna Base; my people are tired and nervous, and so am I."

"Of course," Udina said, "I've already briefed Captain Ramirez, and her ships will escort you to the Mass Relay and head for the Sol system."

M'zan glanced at Ryan, who shrugged. They had seen the massive device known as a Mass Relay, but only after reading through the Codex did they know what it did. It was like an artificial hyperspace lane, allowing FTL-travel to any other active Mass Relay in the network; according to the Codex, there were several in each major section of the galaxy.

"No offense, but all we need is the system's coordinates," M'zan said, "Our hyperdrives can get us there in… how far away is the system from here?"

"About fifteen-hundred light-years," Udina answered.

M'zan mentally went over the math. "That's only a few hours, give or take."

If Udina thought he had seen everything, he was wrong; these people had a method of FTL that completely outclassed anything in the galaxy. With every second, he was more and more certain that getting the New Republic on the Alliance's side was the best move he had ever made.

"If that's the case," Udina said, awed, "I'll give you the coordinates and have an Alliance fleet meet you."

M'zan nodded in thanks, and then Udina tapped a set of coordinates onto a datapad.

"Thank you for what you've done, Councilor; that can't have been easy, what with the rest of the Council as it is," Kota said as he and the others began boarding the _Desperate Measures_, "May the Force be with you… you'll need it."

As the ship began to take off, Udina had to wonder, _what the hell is the Force?_

…

Normally, once they were headed back to Maverick, the Blades would start removing their armor and weapons. A look from Ahsoka, however, made them stop.

"Is something wrong?" Sera asked.

"Wait for it…" Ahsoka said, then nodded at Starkiller. The two Jedi made their way to the cargo hold, where they seemed to be waiting for something.

As if triggered by an unknown signal, both Jedi moved as one; Starkiller sent a Force-Push near the floor, while Ahsoka sent another at head-height. There was a thud and a muffled cry of pain; a moment later, a Salarian in dull-gray armor slid to the floor.

Ryan's eyes went wide behind his helmet; the people of this galaxy possessed personal stealth-generators, just like the Blades! His surprise, however, was quickly replaced by anger; he marched up to the fallen Salarian, grabbed him by the front of his armor and slammed him against the wall.

"Who are you?" he growled, "What the hell are you doing on my ship!?"

The Salarian coughed. "Jondum Bau. Council Spectre, and that's all you'll get from me."

Using the Codex, Ryan had read up on anything that might be a threat in this galaxy; out of everything, the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch, or Spectres, were the Council's best, brightest, and sometimes, the most ruthless people in the galaxy. They were given unlimited authority, the best equipment and next to no supervision.

And one of them had been trying to stow away on his ship.

Without taking his eyes off of the Spectre, Ryan shouted, "Hey, Juno…"

…

"As much as I despise the man, Udina was right about this one," Sparatus said as he and Valern walked to the Council's lounge, "Then again, it could have been worse. Spirits, I need a drink."

"It's a shame that Salarian metabolism is so fast," Valern commiserated, "If it wasn't, I'd be joining you."

"You and I both know that the Alliance will get something useful from the New Republic," Sparatus continued, "Either the STG is going to have to be even sneakier than usual, or we're going to have to do some serious boot-licking to stay in the game."

"I doubt it will be too bad for us," Valern said, "If anything, they seemed more annoyed with Tevos than us, and can we honestly say that the Asari don't need any more advantages?"

Sparatus had to admit that Valern had a point. The Asari had a near-limitless amount of eezo, and if they ever got their act together militarily, they would be a force to be reckoned with, since every single one of their people was a biotic. If the other member species of the Council got any sort of advantage from the New Republic, it would only even the playing field.

Suddenly, both Councilors' Omni-tools beeped, signaling that someone wanted to speak to them.

"Yes?" Valern asked, "Who is it?"

"_Councilor, it's Commander Bailey, C-Sec," _came the answer, _"I thought you should know that the ship that the New Republic folks left in is coming back."_

"Coming back?" Sparatus repeated, "Why would they come back?"

"_I don't know," _Bailey admitted, having overheard the other Councilor, _"But it's coming in fast."_

Valern shut off the call, then turned to his colleague. "There's a Human phrase about never saying that things could be worse."

Sparatus briefly hung his head. "Let's just find out what this is all about."

The two Councilors moved as quickly as dignity would allow, making their way to a C-Sec car and getting a ride to the hangar. When they arrived, they found the _Desperate Measures _hovering just above the ground; the ramp lowered, and two figures came down it, one dragging the other.

"Keep your people off my damn ship!" Ryan, sans helmet, roared, then hurled Jondum Bau bodily to the ground.

To Sparatus and Valern, the greater shock was not seeing one of their best and brightest land in a bruised and bloody heap on the ground. The greater shock was seeing Ryan's face; gone was the confident, almost amused face that they had seen just a little while ago. In its place was a face full of fury and the promise of bloody vengeance; Sparatus had seen an inkling of that kind of wrath in all of the New Republic's envoy, but now he was seeing it full-force.

And it had been a Council Spectre that had set it off.

Sparatus turned to Valern. "You didn't authorize a Spectre to infiltrate them, did you?"

Valern shook his head. "I didn't want to risk it. And Udina wouldn't send a non-Human to do anything…"

Both Councilors looked at each other and sighed.

"Maybe it's time for a certain Asari to retire," Sparatus mused, "Before she starts a war."

**Okay, I know that Sparatus was the problem last chapter, but after reading more into the characters, I realized that Tevos was the real issue. I never thought about it much in the games, mostly because I hated all of the Council and just wanted to get out of the conversations with them ASAP. As idiotic as the Council seemed, I didn't want to make them so stupid as to make you wonder how they got the job in the first place. Don't worry, they're starting to smarten up.**

**I'm sorry that there wasn't a whole lot of action this chapter, and sadly, there won't be much next chapter, either. Chapter 5, however, will be the beginning of the really good stuff. Consider the first four chapters as introductory ones. Also, next chapter we see a few more familiar faces!**

**One more thing: I realized that I had never named or introduced the Captains of the other 4 ships in Maverick. Whoops. Also, every time I introduce an OC, like those two C-Sec officers, you should know that I never do something like that without a reason. They will return later!**

**Hold on, Shepard, I'm busy calibrating this Muffin.**


	4. Meeting the Natives, Part 3

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. BIOWARE CAN KEEP ITS LAME ENDING, BUT I'M KEEPING MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS.**

**Wow, two chapters in two days! I'm spoiling you, aren't I?**

**Today, I looked at this story and I thought to myself, 'Self, you know what this story needs? More characters!' I should start making a list to keep track. Enjoy!**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 4

Meeting the Natives, Part 3

**Luna Base, Sol System**

Admiral Hackett, commanding officer of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, scanned the space beyond Earth's moon from his fleet's flagship, the Dreadnaught SSV _Kilimanjaro_. He had been given the summary of what had happened half a day ago, and despite the dangers of skepticism, he felt that he had to see it to believe it.

Visitors from another galaxy. Not only that, but a good number of them were Human! He'd run the numbers through a Virtual Intelligence, and the VI had said that the odds of another species evolving the same way _and _choosing the same name were over a trillion to one.

That was why Hackett found himself staring at where this 'Battlegroup Maverick' would be arriving.

And then, in a flash of light, the seven vessels pulled out of lightspeed, stopping just a few-hundred kilometers from the Fifth Fleet. Hackett's gaze immediately locked onto the largest vessel, half-again larger than his own. Even from this distance, he knew that that ship was meant to utterly annihilate its enemies.

_For once, I'm glad that Udina is part of the Council, _Hackett thought to himself, _who knows how bad things could have been if he hadn't done what he did._

"Admiral, we're being hailed by the lead vessel," his comms-officer reported.

Hackett nodded. "Put it through."

Unlike the previous times that the _Ren's Vengeance _had communicated, this time there was an image. As the blue hologram of Admiral M'zan appeared on his bridge, Hackett couldn't help but marvel at how Human she looked. Finding out that the Asari were so physiologically similar to Humans had been amazing, but if the reports were correct, then this other galaxy had hundreds of species that were classified as 'near-Humans'.

"Admiral M'zan, I presume?" Hackett asked, nodding his head respectfully.

M'zan gave the older Human a smirk. _"I am, but you have me at a disadvantage. I don't know who you are."_

_And here's where Udina failed, _Hackett thought, _he didn't tell the New Republic who they were meeting._

"I'm Admiral Steven Hackett of the Systems Alliance, Fifth Fleet," he said out loud, "My ships and I are here to escort you to your berth at Luna Base."

"_Sounds good," _M'zan replied, _"I hope you left a wide place for us—the _Vengeance _is a little on the large side."_

"Don't worry," Hackett assured her, "We've cleared out half the moon for you."

"_Well, then," _M'zan said, _"Lead the way."_

…

Maverick was led to the dark side of Earth's moon, where they were able to dock with the furthest section of Luna Base; before they arrived, they got a good look at the planet they would be staying near. The small, blue-and-green planet was certainly attractive to some of the crew, but most of them preferred to stay on their ships; it was the only familiar thing they had left.

When they docked at Luna Base, they found that it had been cleared of civilians, on the pretense of a major technical overhaul that required all but military and scientific personnel to leave. Considering how much advanced technology was being parked right next to the base, it wasn't a complete lie.

For the first few days, the crew of Maverick acclimated to their new surroundings and explored the base, under the watchful eye of Alliance marines. Most of the interactions between the Humans of different galaxies were cordial, but the New Republic personnel found it disturbing how the Alliance was so mistrusting of non-Humans; it reminded them of the Empire. On the other hand, it wasn't treating them like scum, but more like they still weren't used to the idea that there were other sapient beings in the galaxy.

After the second day, Ryan found himself staring at Earth from behind a window. For the first time since arriving in this galaxy, he was wearing his civilian clothes instead of his armor: black combat-pants, boots, a gray shirt and a brown greatcoat, with his _beskar _dagger clipped to his belt.

He was so caught up in staring, he wasn't aware of the person behind him until an arm wrapped around his.

"Credit for your thoughts?" Tanith asked, also dressed in her civilian clothes: the lower half of an orange jumpsuit, a black, sleeveless shirt and a pair of elbow-length, fingerless gloves, with several engineering tools on her belt.

Ryan looked up into Tanith's eyes and smiled. "Oh come on, you know my thoughts are worth at least fifty credits."

Tanith smiled back and gently nudged him. "Keep telling yourself that. Now seriously, what's on your mind?"

Ryan took one of Tanith's hands in his own, then gestured to the distant Earth with his chin. "It's just… right there is where Humans in this galaxy evolved. For most Humans, that's their homeworld, and that's it. It's just so… small."

"What do you mean?"

"Back home, Humans have so many home worlds; Bitters is from Corellia, I'm from Dantooine… we don't care about where our species came from, we care where _we _came from. I guess we've moved past caring about where our original ancestors lived."

Tanith was silent for several minutes. She wasn't used to Ryan thinking about things like that; usually, he was only concerned about whatever situation was happening, the people in Maverick, the other Blades, and her.

When she thought about herself and Ryan, she smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Ryan asked, though he didn't look like he minded.

"Well, we haven't had a chance to do that since before we arrived in this galaxy," Tanith told him, "You wouldn't want me to feel neglected, would you?"

Ryan responded by wrapping his arm around her waist and bringing her close to him.

"Never," he whispered, before kissing her; the kiss lasted for several seconds, but was interrupted by a cough behind them.

Slightly annoyed, the couple turned to see a dark-skinned Human behind them. He was from the Alliance, that much was obvious; his face was lined, but still had a look of strength and resolve in it. He was tall and fit, though his formal uniform concealed his muscles.

"Sorry if I caught you in the middle of something," the man said in a baritone voice, though he had the good grace to sound sheepish, "I was looking for a Commander Ryan Nimbus. Who are you, Miss…?"

"Tanith Tsor," the Mirialan said, then glanced at Ryan.

"I'm Commander Nimbus," Ryan said, still a little annoyed, "Who are you?"

The man extended a hand. "Admiral David Anderson. I was told that you were one of the people I could go to if I had questions about your galaxy."

It was true; since Ryan wasn't privy to New Republic secrets, he was considered one of the 'safe' people that could be interviewed by the Alliance. Unfortunately, this meant that Ryan could rarely get a moment to himself—or with Tanith—without someone trying to talk to him.

"I'll try to answer any questions you have," Ryan said diplomatically, shaking Anderson's hand, while Tanith suppressed a huff; she had hoped to have some time alone with her fiancé.

Anderson gestured for both of them to walk with him; after a few moments, he spoke.

"From what I've gathered about your galaxy, there must be some incredible things," he said, "I was hoping you could confirm the existence of something for me."

"And that would be…?" Ryan gestured for the man to continue.

Anderson took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of the Reapers?"

Both Ryan and Tanith froze; seeing that they were no longer walking with him, Anderson turned to see their shocked faces.

"Yeah," Tanith said, "We've met them before."

"You have?" Anderson was amazed. "How did you beat them?"

Ryan shrugged. "Once you get past their armor, they're pretty easy to take down, just like any Human."

Anderson blinked. "What? The Reaper we fought was easy to stop once its kinetic barrier went down."

"Um… I think we're talking about two different things," Ryan said, "We're talking about an Imperial Regiment that we took down a little over a year ago. What are _you _talking about?"

Anderson sighed, then activated his Omni-tool; a moment later, an image of a large, dark-gray ship that was shaped vaguely like a cuttlefish was frozen as it neared the Citadel, over a dozen burning ships surrounding it.

"This was Sovereign," Anderson explained, "A Reaper, and it was two kilometers long, capable of taking out just about any ship's barriers with a single shot. From what we understand, they come from outside our galaxy every fifty thousand years to wipe out and harvest all advanced species. Three years ago, Sovereign tried to use the Citadel as a doorway for the rest of the Reapers, but we were able to destroy it. Two years later, their agents, the Collectors, were stopped before they created a Human Reaper; shortly after that, the main Reaper invasion was delayed, but I believe that they'll show up en masse very soon."

Tanith examined the image of Sovereign, her mind taking in its dimensions and properties. After a moment of that, she turned to Anderson.

"I've never seen a ship so… organic-looking. Who built it?"

Anderson shrugged. "I have no idea who made the Reapers, but the reason it looks the way it does is because it actually has organic and synthetic properties, and is controlled by an artificial intelligence. No crew is necessary, but people can get inside."

Ryan tapped his chin as he looked at the Reaper. Even though it was only an image, it still gave him an uneasy feeling.

"So these things are just giant, semi-organic droids?" he asked.

Now it was Anderson's turn to look confused. "What's a droid?"

Tanith answered. "A droid is a catch-all term for a mechanical being with an artificial intelligence, but many ships and stations have them in their computers as well."

Anderson looked uneasy. "Just so you know, AIs are illegal in Citadel space. The best example why would be when the Geth drove the Quarians from their own world."

"Yeah, that doesn't happen in our galaxy," Ryan said off-handedly, "Almost all droid rebellions are led by an organic, and those that aren't are easily beaten. We developed weapons to defeat droids millennia ago.

"Besides, I read what happened to the Quarians. From every piece of evidence I've seen, the Geth reacted in self-defense after their creators tried to kill them." Ryan's voice took on a slightly darker tone. "And before you say anything, droids have been a part of our way of life for thousands and thousands of years; some of them are as close to organics as other organics are. So if you try anything—"

Anderson held up his hands. "Hey, as long as they don't try to wipe us all out, I have no problem. The thing I'm worried about is the Reapers. I'll be honest with you, none of the races in the galaxy are prepared for a war with them; hell, it took two whole fleets to kill one. If there's anything you and your people can do to help us…"

As Anderson trailed off, Ryan and Tanith looked at each other. The Admiral had seemed completely serious about the Reapers, but then again, he could have just been a convincing actor.

"I'll talk to Admiral M'zan about this," Ryan said, "I can't promise you anything, but if these Reapers attack, I'm sure we'll help. None of us are the type to ignore people who need help."

Anderson opened his mouth to thank him, but a sudden beep from Ryan's chronometer stopped him.

"Oh, that's right," Tanith said, smacking her forehead, "You were going to spar with Starkiller, weren't you?"

"I almost forgot," Ryan said, then looked nervous, "I was hoping that _he'd_ forget, honestly."

Tanith kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Why don't you take Admiral Anderson with you, and I'll tell M'zan about the Reapers, okay?"

Ryan smiled and kissed her back. "Okay, thanks. I'll see you soon… provided that Starkiller doesn't kill me."

After Tanith left, Ryan saw Anderson giving him a knowing look. "What?"

"So, how long have you been a couple?" Anderson asked.

Ryan shrugged. "A few years. We're engaged, actually."

"Really?" Anderson sounded genuinely surprised. "Sorry if that offended you, it's just that Human and non-Human relationships are still pretty new… and aren't you a little young to be getting married?"

"Hey, I'm twenty-four!" Ryan protested, "Besides, with all the high-risk missions the Outcast Blades have done, we decided not to hold off. We were actually going to have our wedding after our latest mission… but then we ended up in another galaxy."

Anderson smiled. "I can see how that might make you take a rain-check. So, who's this Starkiller person, and why are you worried that he'll kill you?"

Ryan gave a slightly fearful smile of his own. "Come with me and you'll find out."

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

Inside the hangar of Maverick's flagship, a small ring had been constructed for the best close-combat fighters, though that was mostly for the Outcast Blades and Force Team. Today, a small crowd had gathered to watch a practice-fight that all knew the outcome to, but wanted to see regardless.

After introducing Anderson to those gathered, and making sure that he got a front-row seat, Ryan removed his coat and dagger, picked up a training-sword and stood in one corner of the ring. In the other corner, a young man with training robes and an identical sword was taking a few swings to warm up.

Galen Marek, more commonly known as Starkiller, smirked as his opponent got ready.

"I don't know why you keep trying to beat me," he commented, "Why don't you ask PROXY? It's his job to train people in swordsmanship, after all."

"Because PROXY will just spar with me now," Ryan answered in all seriousness, "You, on the other hand, fight to win."

Starkiller had to give him that one.

Outside the ring, Anderson watched as the two fighters prepared for their match. From the files he'd gotten, this Starkiller was one of those so-called Jedi, and had powers that seemed similar to biotics, but magnitudes more powerful, and had other abilities as well. Ryan, on the other hand, wasn't a Jedi; he must have wanted to improve himself by going up against the very best.

"What do you think, Sera?" a voice next to Anderson said, "I'm betting that he'll actually get a hit in this time."

"I will take that bet," a female voice said; Anderson turned to see a young Human woman staring intently at the ring, while an alien—a Nautolan, if Anderson remembered correctly—grinned at her.

"You've seen this kind of thing before?" Anderson asked the two of them.

The girl looked up at him with unblinking eyes, the first sign that she wasn't quite what she appeared, and nodded.

"This is the eighty-fourth duel waged between Commander Nimbus and Jedi Knight Starkiller," she said emotionlessly, "In that time, the Commander has yet to hit Starkiller once. The odds that he will succeed today are eight-point-zero-five percent."

"That's… surprisingly exact," Anderson commented.

The Nautolan next to the girl shrugged. "It's what she does. Hey, Sera, I thought you were trying to be more Human; you're not going to do that if you keep acting like a droid."

"I _am _a droid, Wek," Sera said, a slight amount of annoyance in her tone now, "I simply desire to be more Human. That will not change what I am."

Anderson was shocked. Here, standing next to him, was a droid who not only looked exactly like a Human being, save for her slightly-glowing eyes, and yet she was treated just like anyone else! In fact, he recalled seeing people waving to her as she and the Nautolan, Wek, were heading to the ring just a few minutes earlier. If an AI had walked so casually through the Citadel, it would have been shot instantly. Just how different were their galaxies?

Before he could pursue that thought any further, the cheering around them intensified; the match had begun.

Starkiller made the first move, dashing forward at speeds only surpassed by a Biotic Charge. Instead of blocking or dodging, like Anderson thought he would, Ryan actually jumped, his knee aimed right for Starkiller's face; in an incredible display of agility, the Jedi bent backwards, avoiding the blow and allowing Ryan to jump over him.

As soon as Ryan's feet hit the ground, he spun around and lashed out with his sword, which Starkiller then parried. Ryan kicked out, only to have his foot caught by Starkiller's hand; with a grunt, the Jedi hurled Ryan across the ring, where he hit the cables separating the ring from the audience with a meaty thud.

Ryan shook his head to clear the cobwebs, then stood and charged; Starkiller brought his blade down, aiming for Ryan's shoulder, but the other man rolled out of the way, jumped up and swung.

There was a loud crack, and a collective gasp from the onlookers. All around Anderson, eyes were wide in disbelief; even the optics of Sera had nearly doubled in size. Ryan's sword had passed over Starkiller's intended block and had connected, hitting him squarely in the left cheekbone.

From the looks on both Ryan's and Starkiller's faces, neither of them had expected it. Then, Starkiller grinned in a feral, dangerous way.

"It's about time you learned," he said, "Now it's my turn."

Ryan had just enough time to gulp, and then all he felt was pain. To Anderson, and everyone else, Starkiller's sword-arm became a blur; Ryan was able to block a few strikes, but far too many hit his chest, limbs and head. After a few seconds of this barrage, he fell to the floor, dazed.

Starkiller smiled and brought a towel that had been sitting outside of the ring to him with the Force.

"I know we normally go for more rounds than this," he said, "but I promised Juno not to get any of your blood on the _Rogue Shadow _this time. You all right with that?"

Ryan gave a weak thumbs-up, then allowed his arm to fall limply to the floor. Despite the pain he was in, he was grinning like a madman; after almost five years of sparring, he'd finally landed a hit on the Jedi!

As Starkiller left, most of the crew, marines and engineers outside the ring began to cheer. The only ones who weren't were Wek, Sera and Anderson; the latter was watching as Sera handed Wek a handful of money—like in this galaxy, it was called credits—with a disappointed expression on her face.

"Has the Commander _ever _won a match?" Anderson asked, surprised; in this day and age, hand-to-hand combat was extremely rare, save for a Krogan, and even they didn't use swords.

Wek smiled ruefully. "General Kota said that Ryan was as good as an above-average Jedi Knight, but that was almost three years ago. He's probably a lot better now, but Starkiller is on a whole 'nother level."

"I am still surprised that he was able to land that strike," Sera said quietly, and Anderson would swear that she sounded genuinely disappointed that she had lost her bet.

Anderson was later escorted back to Luna Base, where he then headed to his quarters. His report to Alliance Command would be interesting, to say the least, and it left him with quite a lot to think about.

…

**Luna Base**

Three days later, M'zan tried not to sigh as, once again, the Alliance tried to convince her to share her peoples' technology with them. Specifically, the weapons and shield technologies.

"Admiral, please be reasonable," the other Admiral, an ass of a man named Mikhailovich said, "I've seen the reports—your engineers have scanned our equipment, but we aren't allowed to scan yours? That's a double-standard if I've ever seen one!"

It wasn't just the constant needling from the man that M'zan found irritating. It was the way that Mikhailovich eyed her with both disgust and lust, something that she had seen in the faces of Imperial officers before. They had been disgusted by her because she wasn't Human, but they lusted after her because, from the chin down, she might as well have been. She didn't need to be a Jedi to get the same feeling from this man.

Finally, she could take it no longer.

"Listen, Rear Admiral," she growled, "My people have not been scanning your ships' technologies—mostly because everything we have is far and away _better _than your own—they were scanning the structural integrity of their construction, because I _did _consider if your ships could actually handle our weapons. Do you know what my engineers told me?"

Mikhailovich opened his mouth to speak, but M'zan cut him off.

"They told me that your ships just couldn't handle the power used by a turbolaser of any size, unless you scale it down to the point that you might as well be using the same weaponry anyway. The power from our weapons would shake apart your ships after only a few shots. Imagine mounting one of your mass-accelerators to a rowboat, and you'd get the picture. If that wasn't enough, your ships don't have enough power to fire more than a few shots, if they're anything like the Turian ships we scanned when we first arrived."

"Fine, forget weapons," Mikhailovich said, exasperated, "What about your shields?"

M'zan shook her head. "You're asking for two foreign systems to work together like magic? I don't know how much you know about engineering, but you should know that it doesn't work. Besides, the power-supply is still an issue; you'd be able to take one hit, maybe two, and then your shields would burn out.

"I'm just going to tell you the same thing I told your bosses: we're willing to upgrade your sensors, medical and engineering equipment, but at the moment, that's all we're going to do, because it's not _possible _to do anything else. Your Mass Effect tech is a bigger handicap than you think; it keeps you from thinking big."

Mikhailovich's face turned almost as red as M'zan's, but only nodded curtly and left. When he was gone, leaving her alone in the conference room, M'zan leaned back in her chair and sighed. The Alliance had been pushing for access to the New Republic's technology, but other than a brief tour of the _Ren's Vengeance _yesterday—and making sure that all Omni-tools were disabled, to avoid scanning—no Alliance personnel were allowed near their technology. It wasn't completely the Alliance's fault that M'zan was upset; she really did want to make certain trades, but the limitations of the damned Mass Effect technology simply couldn't measure up to their own.

On the other hand, Maverick had been making some interesting acquisitions; the most important had been when Bitters had gotten his hands on some medi-gel, an invention of the Alliance's that was technically illegal, but since everyone across the galaxy used it, that law was simply ignored. The Blades' medic was currently experimenting with the medi-gel, combining it with bacta, and the results were promising; the new mix could heal larger wounds even faster, and with only half as much being used.

A handful of Omni-tools had also been acquired, though M'zan ended up giving them to the Outcast Blades and Force Team, mostly because they were the only ones who had an interest in the things. Despite only being thirty, M'zan idly wondered if she wasn't interested because she was getting old; with all the stress over the last week, she certainly felt as if she'd aged a decade.

Besides the annoying and downright boring negotiations, M'zan was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she and her people—her family, really—were stuck in another galaxy. The Alliance's best scientists were still puzzling over ways to get Maverick back home, but for all M'zan knew, that could be years away.

And then there was the matter that Tanith had brought to her attention, these 'Reapers'… if they were coming soon, then Maverick might not _have _years to wait around. They might not even have months.

M'zan shook herself out of her spiral of depression, then got up and headed to her ship; it had been a long day, and she wanted a drink. On her way back, however, she was stopped by the man who had warned Ryan and Tanith about the Reapers, Admiral Anderson.

"Admiral," he said, nodding respectfully.

"Admiral," she said back, giving her own nod.

The two of them shared a quick chuckle.

"Call me M'zan," the Twi'lek said, "Before you ask, I don't like it when most people call me by my first name."

"All right," Anderson said, smiling, "but only if you call me David. I was hoping that you could answer a question that's been bothering me for the last few days."

"If it's anything to do with our technology, forget it," M'zan said crossly, "I just got out of a meeting with Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, and I don't want to have to explain the same thing twice in one day."

"It wasn't," Anderson assured her, "But you might want to watch out for the Rear Admiral—he can be a pain in the ass."

M'zan raised an eyebrow. "You can talk about your superior officer like that?"

Anderson shrugged. "In order to keep groups like the STG from hacking our security network and spying on you, we disabled all surveillance systems, which is why we have so many marines on guard. I can say whatever I want here, and no one will ever know."

"If that's the case," M'zan said with a smirk, "Then you're right, Mikhailovich is one of the most annoying little fierfeks I've ever come across." After both Admirals laughed, M'zan asked, "What did you want to ask me?"

"It's about the group called the Outcast Blades," Anderson said, noting the slightly defensive look that appeared in M'zan's eyes, "I wanted to know why they're held in such high esteem by your people; aren't they just mercenaries?"

M'zan relaxed somewhat. "You know, a new recruit once asked me that a couple of years ago, and I nearly punched him. The Blades… they're the reason Maverick was even formed."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. Before they came into the picture, the Rebellion rarely fought against the Empire; sure, we spouted anti-Imperial propaganda, we occasionally attacked a small outpost, but other than the destruction of the first Death Star, we weren't really fighting a war. We were just running away.

"Then Ryan showed up with Ahsoka. Ryan didn't want to join the Rebellion, not after escaping Imperial service; he ended up taking a few Rebels who didn't fit in, gave them some of the highest-quality weapons and gear outside of Imperial Intelligence and started fighting the Empire. They were damn good at it, too; supply depots were raided, critical intelligence was stolen and high-ranking officers were killed. But they did more than that; they inspired others to start being more aggressive against the Empire. For the first time since the Death Star was destroyed, we had hope.

"Then came Mon Mothma." M'zan's lip curled in distaste. "She ordered the Rebellion at large to not be so aggressive. Some of us weren't going to take that, however; General Kota founded Maverick, a battlegroup that went against Mon Mothma's orders. We hit the Empire any way we could; did quite a bit of damage, if I do say so myself. Eventually, we crossed paths with the Blades, and offered to be their mobile base of operations, as well as a place to offload captured Imperial equipment. They might be mercenaries, but they fought just as hard against the Empire as anyone I've ever met."

Anderson was a little shocked at how passionately M'zan had spoken for the Blades. "No wonder I saw some of your crew treating them like heroes."

M'zan actually laughed. "Oh, the Blades aren't heroes, far from it, and they'll be the first to tell you so. They're an ex-Imperial who doesn't know the meaning of a fair fight, an engineer who wasn't allowed free reign on most ships because she'd take it apart from the inside and forget to put it back together, a sniper who understands complex technology better than anyone I've met but will access classified data from his own side, a medic who's a borderline sociopath and a droid who has developed a gambling problem. They're a mishmash of oddballs and rejects; dangerous oddballs and rejects, but oddballs and rejects all the same."

"Then why do you have them with you?" Anderson asked, "If I had a unit like that under my command, I'd have them drummed out faster than you could blink."

M'zan smiled. "What, you don't have weirdoes in _your _family?"

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

Early the next morning, Ryan woke from a nightmare, snapping upright and throwing the sheets off of him. His organic eye darted around wildly, searching for an enemy that wasn't there. It was only the sound of a moan next to him that brought him back to reality.

"Ryan?" Tanith groggily sat up and reached for him. "It's okay, it's okay; I'm here."

Ryan sighed, brought the sheets back up around them and leaned into Tanith's sleepy embrace. "Sorry about that. Go back to sleep."

Tanith shook her head, her eyes still closed. "No, I'm waking up anyway. What time is it?"

Ryan glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "Just past oh-four-hundred."

"Yeah, I might as well wake up," Tanith yawned and stretched, "I thought I'd give the hyperdrive a tune-up today anyway; I'll take a nap after I'm finished."

"Sorry," Ryan apologized again, but Tanith shushed him.

"It's all right," she said; she kept her arms wrapped around Ryan for several seconds, before asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Just a nightmare," Ryan said vaguely.

"About what?" Tanith asked, finally opening her eyes and giving him a stern look.

Ryan sighed, knowing that she wouldn't stop asking until he told her. "It was about when I was… being tortured."

Tanith stiffened slightly, her hand lightly tracing over Ryan's bare chest, where a mass of faded scars were still visible.

"I was back there, with Moff Laar," Ryan confessed, "But unlike what really happened… you never came for me. Laar just kept cutting and cutting and—"

Tanith stopped him by grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her. "Ryan, stop. You're not there anymore, okay? We rescued you and Laar is dead; you killed him. Remember that, all right? You are still alive, which means that you can move on."

Ryan nodded. The nightmares came more often than he'd like, but Tanith was always there to reassure him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her tightly, a move which she reciprocated. When they finally separated, Tanith had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You know," she said slowly, "I'm not completely awake yet. You wouldn't happen to know any… _remedies _for that, would you?"

Ryan grinned as they lay down on the bed. "As a matter of fact…"

…

An hour later Ryan, now clean and dressed, was sitting in the cargo bay of the _Desperate_, cleaning several of the weapons that the Blades had in their armory. Besides being the Blades' commanding officer, he shared the duty of armory chief with Sera, and it was his turn to keep all the weapons ready, even if they were ones that they didn't use.

After the comforting words and his 'wakeup-exercises' with Tanith, he was in a much better mood, even whistling as he finished polishing the last blaster pistol. Though he knew that each weapon was in the best condition possible, he couldn't resist activating his new Omni-tool and, as the holographic gauntlet appeared on his left arm, scanning the blaster for any imperfections.

When they had seen what the Omni-tool was capable of, all of the Blades had been excited; half of the functions on the things would cut hours from the time they spent on their normal duties! The only problem Ryan had had was the color.

"_Orange really isn't my color," _he had said, _"Do you think I can get it in black?"_

After some tinkering, Wek had actually changed the color of all of their Omni-tools, matching the color of their armor—Ryan's was in black, Tanith's in blue, Bitters' in copper, Wek's in silver and Sera's in red—with the holographic buttons outlined in white, for Ryan's, or black for everyone else's.

The best part about the Omni-tool was its easy use; it had only taken Ryan a few hours to master the basic functions, and was soon using it to easily access the Extranet for information on any questions he had about this galaxy. If there was one thing Ryan hated, it was not having information, something he shared with Wek. Lack of information was what allowed the Rebel fleet to be trapped at the Battle of Endor and, on a more personal note for the Blades, cost Maverick its previous flagship, the _Blaze of Glory_, along with over two hundred of its crew.

Just as Ryan was deactivating his Omni-tool, a beeping noise caught his attention. Putting down the last blaster, he found the source of the noise: it was the communications device that the Alliance had supplied him, along with General Kota and the other leaders of Maverick. The devices worked similarly to a holocom, but had to be linked to larger power-sources for the holograms to appear. After Wek thoroughly scanned each one for surveillance devices, they were plugged into each ship's power core; thankfully, each device could be easily disconnected to save power, even though they didn't take too much energy.

As Ryan activated the communicator, the hologram of someone he didn't recognize appeared. It was a middle-aged Human male, wearing a fancy suit; he was well-groomed, with glowing cybernetic eyes, and a lit cigarette in one hand.

"_Greetings," _the man said in a refined voice, _"Commander Ryan Nimbus, leader of the mercenary group called the Outcast Blades, I presume?"_

Ryan was immediately on edge. This man wasn't wearing an Alliance uniform, and the look in his artificial eyes made Ryan want to grab those closest to him and run—or shoot the man in the face, whichever was easier.

"I am," Ryan replied, his expression and tone neutral; after years of playing sabaac with Corellians, he had a great poker-face. "Who might you be?"

"_I represent a group known as Cerberus," _the man said, _"The Alliance has given me the pseudonym, 'the Illusive Man'."_

Nonchalantly, Ryan sat on a chair and activated his Omni-tool, but kept his organic left eye on the Illusive Man while his cybernetic eye focused on the Omni-tool. It had been a challenge to do things like this when he first got his artificial eye, but over the years, it had become fairly simple.

"_Don't bother trying to trace this call," _the Illusive Man said calmly, _"The best Alliance cryptographers can't find me, I doubt someone who barely has any idea how this galaxy's technology works has a hope."_

Ryan shrugged. "Can't blame me for trying."

What he didn't say was that he wasn't even trying to trace the call.

"_I called you, Commander, because I believe that you and I are alike," _the Illusive Man said, _"You and I are men who know the cost of war, and how sacrifices must be made in order to get what we want. From looking at you, I'd say that you make more… personal sacrifices than I do, but the principle is the same."_

_Everyone always looks at my eye first, _Ryan thought, even as he continued to type. "Your flattery needs work. What do you want?"

The Illusive Man paused to take a drag on his cigarette. _"Cerberus' goal is to protect Humanity from all threats, whatever the cost. This is a dangerous galaxy, Commander, and Cerberus is the only thing keeping Humans from becoming enslaved or destroyed."_

"A noble goal," Ryan said noncommittally, "But what does that have to do with me?"

"_I know that you spoke with Admiral Anderson," _the Illusive Man said, _"I assume that he told you about the threat of the Reapers?"_

Ryan nodded. "The evidence seems to say so, but the Council seems to believe that they don't exist."

"_They refuse to see the truth, but only because a Human told them," _the Illusive Man allowed a touch of anger to creep into his voice, _"Because the Alliance is afraid to anger their neighbors, they too have buried the truth, claiming that Sovereign was just a Geth Super-Dreadnaught. Without Cerberus, Humanity _will _fall to the Reapers… and the other aliens in this galaxy."_

"You still haven't told me what you want from me," Ryan pointed out.

The Illusive Man nodded. _"I was getting to that. You're a Human with significant influence among your forces. Without your people's weapons, Humanity will lose the war with the Reapers. It is inevitable. If you assist us, I can assure you that Cerberus will be very generous in its thanks; perhaps we can even find a way to get you home."_

As the Illusive Man spoke, Ryan got a better understanding of him. Behind the calm exterior, there was a man full of spite and paranoia. Then his Omni-tool beeped.

"Excuse me for a moment," Ryan said, "I think this is important."

While they had been talking, Ryan had been scouring the Extranet for information about this 'Cerberus'. What he had found had disturbed him. Anti-alien propaganda, blowing up tankers full of eezo over inhabited Human worlds to cause children to be born with biotic powers, at the cost of thousands to be poisoned. Even worse, the torture and experimentation of Alliance personnel, all in the name of 'protecting Humanity'.

"Wow," Ryan said, "I was going to just tell you 'no', but _this_… this changes everything."

The Illusive Man's mouth started to curl upwards, but Ryan wasn't done. He stepped up to the communicator and gave the man a glare that had caused Imperial soldiers to soil themselves.

"I know what you've done, you piece of filth," Ryan spat, "And the only technology I'd give you is a single blaster bolt, right in your bigoted skull. I don't care who you are, and I don't care what galaxy you or I are from; you come near me or my people, and I'll kriffing kill you."

"_Don't be shortsighted," _the Illusive Man protested, crushing his cigarette in one hand, _"Humanity needs to stand together, our galaxy of origins be damned!"_

"You're just like every Imperial I've ever faced," Ryan said darkly, "You think that your way is the only way to victory. Well, I've got news for you: if the Reapers attack, it won't be Humanity alone that beats them, it'll be everyone, pulling together and forgetting their differences in the face of a common enemy. And if you think that that's a bunch of sentiment, well, we did it before, and I'm guessing that you don't have a galaxy-spanning Empire, do you?"

Before the Illusive Man could respond, Ryan yanked the power cable out of the communicator, ending the transmission.

"Ryan?" Tanith called out from behind him; Ryan turned to see her, a concerned expression on her face. "What's going on?"

"Wake the others," Ryan said, in the tone that he saved for combat, "I'm going to get M'zan, Kota and the Captains together.

"We've got a problem."

…

**Sur'Kesh, Salarian Union Space**

A few thousand kilometers from the Salarian homeworld, a bright flash of light appeared and disappeared just as quickly. STG vessels were scrambled to investigate, and found a strange device floating in the void.

Silver in color, it was vaguely diamond-shaped, with three clawed legs pointed at one end. While the STG operatives couldn't figure out what the technology was, they did recognize the symbol painted on one side. That symbol, or rather, the people who used it, had been the talk of STG for a week now: the same symbol was painted on the hull of the _Ren's Vengeance_.

At first, the operatives wanted to take the device apart to uncover its secrets, but then they remembered Councilor Valern's orders. If something from the other galaxy was found, and if the people of Maverick found out that someone had tampered with it, any chance of establishing a friendly relationship with them would be lost forever. The risks involved with learning the device's secrets on their own were too great.

With great reluctance, the STG crew locked the device in the hold of their ship and set course for the Citadel. With any luck, Valern could get the Salarians into the New Republic's good books. Of course, no one said that they couldn't _scan _the device along the way…

**And there you go! This is the last chapter (to my knowledge) that won't be action-packed, because next up, we start the events of Mass Effect 3!**

**Now, there are a couple of things that I'd like to mention. First, having the SW guys have an easier time understanding the ME tech makes sense to me; it's like if I was asked how to use a cell phone from ten years ago. I'd raise an eyebrow at how old the thing was, but I'd be able to use it. When the reverse is applied, well, like M'zan said: attaching a cannon to a rowboat. Not good.**

**So, the Illusive Man is now in the picture, but if he was trying to get our favorite Blade to go all 'Humanity First', he was sorely mistaken. Like Ryan was **_**ever**_** going to join a group that would probably dissect his closest friends… Cerberus is kinda stupid.**

**Also, I can't be the only one who wanted different-colored Omni-tools. I never liked the bright orange. Besides, how cool would a black Omni-tool look?**

**As fun as this story is, I don't want to burn myself out. I'm going to take a bit of time to work on Unlimited Justice, probably a couple of chapters, and then I'll come back to this.**

**Anyway, I—oh my god. I just realized: The Illusive Man. The Incredible Muffin. I share the same acronym as one of the most hated characters in the entire ME franchise *headdesk*!**

**I'm looking for my Muffin, you bosh'tet! **


	5. Flight

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONG TO ME. THOSE WHO TRY TO STEAL THEM WILL BE HARVESTED BY THE REAPERS.**

**Okay, I know that I said I'd take a break from this story, but two things happened: first, I couldn't stay away from this story. It's too much fun. The second reason was that when I tried to write Unlimited Justice, it just wasn't flowing. Until I get my muse back, I think I'll just stick to this.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 5

Flight

**Luna Base**

After Ryan's encounter with the Illusive Man, the personnel of Maverick tightened its own security. The crews stayed on their ships, ready to cast off at a moment's notice, and whenever M'zan had to leave the _Ren's Vengeance_, it was only while under armed guard.

This behavior, however, was not unnoticed by the Alliance. When they asked what was going on, M'zan lied and said that her people were just feeling the stress of being lost in another galaxy. Normally, M'zan was a very direct person and didn't usually resort to outright lying, but further research on Cerberus had revealed that they had been an Alliance black-ops unit that had gone rogue. There was a good chance that they had infiltrated the Alliance, and M'zan didn't want to tip Cerberus off that Maverick was on to them.

The deception might have lasted for a little while, but after three weeks without the security lightening up, the Alliance was starting to suspect something. There were no aggressive moves being made by the New Republic, but the fact that they were prepared for a fight was still worrying.

In truth, the security _would _have been toned down after a week, but shortly after Ryan had told the officers about Cerberus, Kota, Starkiller and Ahsoka had been struck by a vision. They saw the entire galaxy burning as swarms of enormous ships blocked out the skies of every world. There were only a few bright spots in the coming darkness, and they foresaw that Maverick was one of them.

With that in mind, it was an armed and armored Ryan that strode through Luna Base, his entire body tense and ready for action at a moment's notice. He was patrolling the area that led to where Maverick was docked, but under the pretense of taking a jog in full combat-gear. He had done that once a day since security had increased, and so far, no one had said anything.

When he was almost done with his patrol, he noticed Ahsoka waiting for him. The Togrutan was acting nonchalant, pretending to be inspecting her prosthetic left arm, but from the tenseness of her form, Ryan knew she was expecting him.

"Trouble?" he asked softly, leaning beside her against the wall, removing his helmet and taking a sip of water from the canteen at his belt.

"Not sure yet," Ahsoka told him, her voice low, "Master Kota, Galen and I were feeling the same impending danger, but a few minutes ago…" she trailed off, her expression haunted.

"What is it?" Ryan hated when the Jedi looked like that; the last time Ahsoka had looked that disturbed had been when Maris Brood had died, killed by a brainwashed Tanith.

"We felt the deaths of millions, maybe _billions _of people," Ahsoka said worriedly, "It was like Alderaan, but spread across whole systems."

"It must be the Reapers," Ryan said, "Nothing else seems to fit that level of destruction. Have we told the Alliance yet?"

"Master Kota tried telling Admiral Hackett yesterday that he should mobilize his forces, but when the Alliance asked him to explain why…"

"Let me guess," Ryan said bitterly, "They didn't believe that the Force even existed, much less could grant a vision of the future?"

That had been another source of contention between the New Republic and the Alliance. While the Force was widely accepted in their own galaxy, even scientifically proven, the Alliance seemed determined to deny the existence of something that they couldn't detect with their own science. The theory that Ryan had come up with was that since the Humans of this galaxy had abandoned most of their religions after discovering that they weren't the only sapient life, they seemed almost contemptuous of religion or anything like it.

Ahsoka scowled, equally bitter. "They thought we were just being paranoid… kriffing idiots."

Before either of them could say anything to make themselves more upset, both of their holocoms began to beep.

"This is Blade Lead, go ahead," Ryan said, answering for both of them as M'zan's hologram appeared.

"_Blade Lead, Ahsoka, get back to the _Vengeance_," _the Admiral said without preamble, _"Long-range sensors just picked up something coming from the Mass Relay in the system… a lot of somethings."_

Ryan and Ahsoka glanced at each other, before the latter asked, "Admiral, is it the Reapers?"

"_I don't know," _M'zan admitted, _"Whatever it is, I've got a bad feeling about it. As soon as you get aboard, Maverick is taking off; we're easy targets on this moon."_

"Will the Alliance see this as an act of aggression?" Ryan asked as he and Ahsoka made their way to the _Vengeance_.

"_I don't think so, especially since Hackett's Fifth Fleet is moving to place itself between the Relay and Earth. As soon as we're flying, I'll tell Hackett that we're ready to assist, if necessary."_

"Either that, or we run away," Ryan said, even though he knew what M'zan's reaction would be.

"_Now Ryan," _she said, a bit of her humor returning, _"When have you ever known me to run from a perfectly good fight?"_

…

**SSV **_**Kilimanjaro **_

"Admiral!" Hackett's sensor-officer shouted, "The New Republic ships are leaving Luna Base!"

_Terrific, _Hackett thought sarcastically, _as if the Reapers weren't bad enough, now these people with their fortune-tellers are doing who-knows-what._

In all honesty, however, Hackett wasn't completely sure that the abilities of those Jedi were just advanced biotics. After all, they had somehow been aware of the near-total destruction of an Alliance battlegroup that had been sent to investigate what happened to several Alliance-held worlds along Batarian space.

While some among the higher-ups thought that the four-eyed aliens were finally starting an all-out war, Hackett and Anderson were convinced that it was the Reapers. After all, the Batarians were closest to where the Reapers were supposed to enter the galaxy. If the Reapers were real—and Hackett had every reason to believe that they were—then the unprepared Batarians wouldn't even slow them down. Tens of millions had probably died within the first days.

What Hackett couldn't understand was how the Jedi had known about it all. With every other alternative impossible, the only remaining option was…

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking about the supernatural. He was in his element; there was an enemy in space, he had ships at his command and a planet to defend. Let the Reapers come—they'd find that the Fifth Fleet wasn't going to go down easy.

"What's the status of Battlegroup Maverick?" he asked.

"At the moment, they're about ten thousand kilometers behind us," the sensor-officer reported, "They don't seem to be doing anyt—wait! They just started moving towards us!"

"Admiral, the _Ren's Vengeance _is hailing us!" the comms-officer said.

"Put it on," Hackett ordered, and a hologram of M'zan appeared on the bridge. "Admiral M'zan, do you mind me asking what you're doing?"

"_Isn't it obvious, Admiral Hackett?" _M'zan said, a smile that Hackett could only describe as predatory, _"We're going to help you fight against the Reapers."_

The _Kilimanjaro_'s bridge-crew looked at M'zan's hologram in surprise, as did Hackett.

"Just like that? Why would you help us?" he asked.

M'zan rolled her eyes. _"General Kota told you yesterday, but you wouldn't listen. We know that the Reapers will kill everyone… and Maverick isn't about to back down from a bunch of oversized droids."_

Hackett gave a grim smile. Even though it was only seven ships, he knew that if the Reapers were here in force, they'd need every gun they could find.

"In that case, Admiral, good hunting."

"_Likewise, Admiral," _M'zan said, straightening her cap, _"May the Force be with you."_

_Again with this 'Force', _Hackett idly thought as M'zan's hologram vanished, before turning back to the situation at hand.

"Tell all ships to ready weapons," he ordered, "The second the Reapers show up, give them hell!"

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

"Admiral, we've got a visual on the Reapers," Gorch reported from his position near the sensor terminal.

Curious, M'zan made her way over. Aside from the image of Sovereign, which had been fairly blurry, she didn't really know what the Reapers looked like.

The bulk of the Reapers, a total of nearly two hundred, seemed identical to Sovereign: four hundred meters longer than the _Vengeance_, elongated back that had a few short legs, a front that ended in a handful of tentacles, and was just plain ugly, in M'zan's opinion. The other Reapers, however, were much smaller; they were barely bigger than a Corellian Corvette! They were also more insect-like in appearance, with a hunched shell and four spindly legs.

"What's the status of Maverick?" she asked.

"All ships are reporting readiness, Admiral," Gorch said, "Weapons, shields, fighters and bombers are prepped."

"Tell all fighters and bombers to stay put for now," M'zan said, "Let's get a better understanding of what we're up against before we send them out there."

"The lead Reapers will be in range in thirty seconds, Admiral," the tactical-officer reported.

"Well, they're basically semi-organic droids," M'zan thought out loud, "Tell the _Tides _and the _Majesty _to ready their ion cannons first; order the Corvettes and Gunships to hang behind us."

"Aye, Ma'am!"

"Admiral, the Alliance flagship is sending us a packet of data," the comms-officer said, "It seems to contain everything they have on the Reapers' capabilities."

"Anything we should know?" M'zan asked.

"The Reaper Sovereign used some kind of beam made of focused, molten metal as its main gun," the officer reported, "It also had smaller versions mounted in the tentacles, along with a point-defense system similar to the ones we've seen on the ships of this galaxy."

M'zan nodded. "Tell all ships to switch to particle shields."

"Ma'am, the Reapers are now in range," the tactical-officer said calmly.

M'zan grinned. "Fire."

…

At M'zan's command, the three largest ships in Maverick unleashed their ion weapons. In a few seconds, dozens of bolts of ion energy sped towards the Reapers, where they struck with devastating effect. The first Reaper, one of the larger variety, seemed to writhe in pain as it was struck by multiple shots; it still kept going, but its barriers were gone, and from the way it swerved, it almost appeared drunk. The smaller Reapers who were hit simply locked up, only moving forward because of their own momentum.

Then Maverick unleashed its other weapons. Turbolasers, both heavy and normal, struck the first wave of Reapers with arguably even better results. Because their barriers were meant to stop physical objects, they had no effect at all against the energy-weapons that hit them. The larger Reapers were shattered into pieces, while the smaller ones were simply atomized, save for a few fragments.

For the ones that had lost their barriers, a wave of torpedoes were launched, and without their main defense, they were destroyed with almost contemptuous ease.

In the span of less than a minute, fifteen of the larger Reapers had been destroyed or critically damaged, as were a dozen smaller Reapers.

First blood went to Maverick.

…

**SSV **_**Kilimanjaro **_

Aboard Hackett's ship, everyone stared at the carnage in slack-jawed awe. Three ships had done to almost thirty Reapers what two entire _fleets _had done to take out just Sovereign! On top of that, they had done it in a fraction of the time!

"My god…" one officer whispered.

On the screen, the rest of the Reapers seemed to be in a similar state of shock; they had pulled back, at least for now, presumably to figure out how to defeat these new enemies. Or perhaps they were simply thrown into confusion because they couldn't comprehend such weapons.

"Um, Admiral?" the comms-officer said weakly, "We're getting a transmission from Admiral M'zan."

Hackett nodded numbly. "Put her through." Once M'zan's hologram appeared, he spoke. "Admiral, I have to say that never saw that coming, and I'm damn sure that the Reapers didn't either. You're not trying to make us look bad, are you?"

Despite the joke, M'zan didn't look happy. _"Sorry, Admiral, but this was just a small sortie; our sensors have picked up hundreds more coming through the Relay, and there could be thousands behind those. I might not run from a fight, but I won't have my people be slaughtered!"_

"What are you saying, Admiral?" Hackett asked, dreading the answer.

M'zan looked grim. _"We won't be able to hold them off forever. We'll have to buy as much time as we can for evacuations to begin."_

"We can't evacuate an entire planet!" Hackett protested, "For that matter, this is Earth; I don't know how things are in your galaxy, but if we lose Earth, we might as well call Humans an endangered species!"

"_Hackett, you have less than two hundred warships around Earth," _M'zan said sternly, _"Even if each of your ships could go toe-to-toe with a Reaper, you'd get taken down with sheer numbers. I'm willing to help buy you time, but we can't win here; not without help."_

Hackett gritted his teeth; his duty was to the defense of Humanity and now, when its homeworld was under attack, he knew that his ships could do nothing more than mount a valiant, if futile, last stand.

"Contact Parliament," he growled at the comms-officer, "Tell them to start emergency evacuations. Order the Third Fleet to break off and escort as many… refugees… as they can to safety. The rest of us will hold here for as long as we can."

The comms-officer blinked back tears at the order, then began relaying the news.

"_I'm sorry, Admiral," _M'zan said, genuine remorse in her tone, _"But it's either we save some now and come back later for the rest, or we all die."_

Hackett only nodded, unable to speak when the thought of Earth and her people burning plagued his mind.

The sensor-officer cleared his throat. "Admiral, we've got incoming; at least three hundred Reapers this time."

Hackett stood up and glared at the image of incoming Reapers on the screen. "Tell all ships to form up around Maverick; they're our best shot right now. I hope you don't mind, Admiral?"

"_Not at all; now that we know what kind of punishment the Reapers can take, I'll be sending out my Corvettes, as well as my fighters and bombers. That should buy some more time."_

Hackett nodded. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask one more thing: when we're ready to… to leave, we'll need a path to the Mass Relay for us to escape."

"_Consider it done," _M'zan said grimly, _"Now, let's get to work!"_

…

The battle went well at first. The newly-arrived Reapers joined up with the remnants of their vanguard and charted a straight line towards the Alliance/Maverick forces, seemingly intent on annihilating Earth's defenses before moving on to the planet itself. The defenders used that to their advantage, though; with the Reapers packed together, it was easy for Maverick's guns to hit multiple targets at once.

Instead of making sure that their targets were dead, Maverick just damaged each Reaper before moving on to the next target, leaving the reeling Reaper for the Alliance ships to finish off. The _Vengeance_, _Tides_, and _Majesty _unleashed their squadrons of X-Wing fighters and Y-Wing bombers, where they swarmed over the Reapers. Those squadrons were all veterans of the Rebellion, and after so many dogfights against Imperial TIE-Fighters, the Reapers' point-defense weapons were so slow that they were almost boring.

When the Reapers released hundreds of their own equivalent to fighters—spherical, AI-piloted things called Oculi—the X-Wings again proved their superiority. Though each Oculus was fast and had a powerful beam-like weapon, their shape and swarming tactics reminded the Maverick pilots of their Imperial enemies, and the same tactics worked here as well. With the Reaper interceptors occupied, the Y-Wings were free to strafe the larger Reapers with ion-bombs, which exploded with devastating effect.

The turkey-shoot only lasted for so long, however; the Reapers regrouped, then spread out, their sheer numbers assuring that at least some would reach Earth. Luna base was quickly overrun, and a few were already in Earth's atmosphere.

Aboard the _Kilimanjaro_, Hackett knew that they had done what they could, holding out for almost three hours—that was longer than anyone could have realistically hoped for and more. The Alliance ships had taken casualties as well, despite killing nearly a hundred Reapers; over a third of their own ships had been destroyed, and from what Hackett could figure out in all the confusion, he had suddenly become the highest-ranking officer in the Alliance Navy. The New Republic vessels were holding their own so far, but Hackett knew that it was only a matter of time before they had to leave.

Still, there was one thing that the Alliance, and indeed, the entire galaxy had to make sure got off Earth… or rather, some_one_.

"Get me Admiral M'zan!" Hackett shouted, even as his ship finished off a smaller Reaper—one that, over the course of the battle, had earned the moniker of Reaper Destroyer, while the larger ones were simply called Sovereign-Class.

"On it, Sir!" the comms-officer yelled back; a moment later, she announced, "Connection established!"

M'zan's hologram appeared, though the Twi'lek seemed focused on other things.

"_Divert Comet Squadron to our starboard flank, a Destroyer is closing in; have them keep it occupied until the _Bright Light _can come about! Sorry about that, Hackett, did you need something?"_

"Yes. I was hoping that you could divert some of your forces to Earth and retrieve a VIP."

"_Now?" _M'zan demanded incredulously, _"We're in the middle of a kriffing battle, and you want me to send someone _now_!?"_

"Please," Hackett almost begged, "This is a war that can't be won by any one race, or even all races fighting separately. We need a united front, and if our reports are right, all of our real diplomats and leaders died on Arcturus Station, when the Reapers first arrived. The only person who might be able to unite the galaxy is Commander Shepard, and he's down there on Earth."

M'zan considered it for a moment, then nodded. _"All right. Give me his last known coordinates, and I'll send in the Outcast Blades. I'd send in Force Team, but I don't want this Shepard person to get killed in all the collateral damage._

"_In the meantime, let's start clearing that path to the Relay, shall we?"_

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

"There's an Oculus on the—never mind, you got it," Wek warned, then resumed firing from his turret as the Outcast Blades sped towards Earth.

"Of course I got it," Ryan said, even as he turned the dorsal turret to take a few high-powered shots at a Reaper Destroyer, "I _have _been doing this for a while."

"Ha, you're old."

"Shut up, I'm only three years older than you!"

"_Both _of you shut up!" Tanith barked, "We're almost there; ETA to Commander Shepard's last known location is forty-five seconds!"

"You heard the lady!" Ryan shouted, hopping out of his turret, "Blade Three, Four and Five: meet me at the ramp!"

At the beginning of the battle, the Blades had stayed in their ship in the _Vengeance_'s hangar; they had been held back in reserve, or until they were given a real mission.

Like now.

As soon as they'd been told the who, where and when, the _Desperate _had rocketed out of the _Vengeance_, blasting anything that got between her and Earth. Now, they were headed towards one of the most important cities on the planet, called London. Once there, they would find and secure Commander Shepard.

While researching Cerberus, Ryan had stumbled across references to this Human who was seen as one of the greatest, if not _the _greatest, hero in the galaxy. Apparently, he'd led the team that stopped the rogue Turian Spectre, Saren, along with his army of Geth, but was then apparently killed a few months later, only to be resurrected—Ryan couldn't really wrap his head around that—by Cerberus. Aside from noting the Commander's brief partnership with the terrorists, Ryan hadn't really paid attention to Shepard, focusing instead on Cerberus.

Once the Commander was rescued, he'd have to do a little more research; at the very least, to assuage his curiosity about why Admiral Hackett had pinned this entire galaxy's hopes on one man.

"Ten seconds!" Tanith yelled, and as she moved the ship closer to the ground, the Blades got a good look at what the Reapers were doing.

There wasn't a single stretch of London that wasn't burning, broken or covered in bloody corpses. Men, women, children—the Reapers were indiscriminate. It made the Blades sick; aside from Alderaan, even the Empire was rarely that brutal.

"Boss?" Bitters said quietly over the comms.

"Yeah?"

"I think I want to kill these Reapers."

"You're preaching to the choir, man."

As the _Desperate _landed, the four Blades rushed down the ramp; a few seconds later, the ship flew up again.

"Blade Two, stay out of combat unless absolutely necessary," Ryan ordered, "Be prepared for pickup at any time."

"_Copy that," _Tanith said, heading off deeper into the burning city, _"Good luck, guys."_

"Come on," Ryan said, readying his carbine and looking around. Shepard had been in the large building nearby, but it had been hit by a Reaper's cannon, as well as some debris. If Shepard was in there, he was probably dead; still, they had to check.

Ryan kicked down the door to the building, and nearly had a heart-attack when some… _thing_ jumped at him! On reflex, Ryan fired, a single blaster bolt going through the creature's eye and out the back of its skull.

"What the hell!?" Wek shouted.

Ryan examined the corpse. It looked like a Human, albeit a nude, emaciated one with clawed hands, dark-gray skin and blue circuitry woven into its flesh.

Wek was searching the Extranet on his Omni-tool. "Codex says that it's a Husk. It used to be Human, until the Geth impaled them on big spikes and turned them into… that. There's an addendum here that says that the spikes might really be Reaper-tech."

"It would appear that it is no longer uncertain," Sera commented.

"Keep an eye out for more," Ryan said, moving forward again, "If it doesn't look Human, shoot first and ask questions later."

If the situation wasn't so grim, one of the Blades might have joked about not shooting Wek. The sight of a dead, half-burnt child took away all chance of humor.

The Blades moved through the building, occasionally encountering more Husks, but easily putting them down. If they had come in greater numbers, they might have considered them a threat, but someone had obviously fought through here before; there were more dead Husks than live ones. The kills must have been recent, too; the Husks dissolved into nothing less than a minute after killing them.

The sound of gunfire nearby confirmed that the kills were indeed recent.

Ryan set his comms to the channel Admiral Hackett had given him and tried to reach Shepard.

"Commander Shepard, this is Commander Ryan Nimbus," at first, Ryan got nothing but static. "Commander Shepard, do you read me?"

"_I r*** you, Com***," _a garbled response came back, _"Fighting Rea*** up ahead. We h*** wounded, can you pr*** sup***?"_

"Hold your position, Commander, we're coming to get you!" Ryan turned to his teammates. "I think the Reapers are jamming Alliance channels, so let's double-time it, people!"

The Blades charged through the rest of the building until they made it outside. After taking a second to get their bearings, they found a small group of people taking cover behind some debris, while some type of Reaper infantry attacked them. They each had a large, bloated torso with scrawny limbs, though their right arms ended in some kind of cannons. Their heads had four, glowing eyes and a wide maw that had a blue light emanating from within.

Ryan was already moving, shouting orders as he ran. "Blade Three, stay here and pick off a few of those things; Blade Four, I see wounded down there, see what you can do. Blade Five, you and I will link up with those soldiers and provide support."

Wek balanced his sniper rifle on a railing and started to fire, his shots blowing the heads off any Reaper soldier that got out of cover. Once the other Blades made their way to the Alliance personnel, Bitters moved to apply his new bacta-gel on the wounded, while Ryan and Sera moved to the cover that the other soldiers were using. To Ryan's surprise, he recognized one of them.

"Admiral Anderson?" Ryan nodded at the man before shooting a charging Husk, "Good to see you alive. Who's your friend?"

Next to Anderson was a tall, well-built man who looked only a few years older than Ryan. He had strong features and his hair was cut almost to the scalp. Though his BDU's were torn and bloody, the man was fearlessly gunning down Reaper soldiers with a rifle in one hand, while firing spheres of purple energy with the other.

"Commander Nimbus?" Anderson shook his head. "Damned if I'm glad to see you again. This is Commander Alan Shepard."

"I'm not a Commander anymore," Shepard said, almost like a reflex, "I'm not even technically a member of the Alliance these days."

Ryan shrugged.

"Still, nice to meet you," Ryan said casually, even as he put a blaster bolt through the head of one of the bloated creatures.

For his part, Shepard only widened his eyes at Ryan's appearance and weapons, before resuming fire. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the tide of Reaper troops receded, if only for a moment.

"They'll be back soon," Shepard said in a steely voice, before turning to Ryan with a half-smile. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Ryan said, and as Wek rejoined them—again, causing Shepard's eyes to widen only briefly—he contacted Tanith. "Blade Two, we have Shepard. Lock onto our position ASAP!"

"_Blade Lead, there's a snag," _Tanith said a moment later, _"I'm near a group of civilians, maybe twenty of them. Their transports were destroyed by the Reapers, and I don't think anyone is coming back for them."_

Ryan looked at Shepard and Anderson; Shepard didn't even hesitate.

"We've got our own ship on the way," he said, "Tell your pilot to get those civvies out of there."

Ryan nodded. "Blade Two, pick up the civilians and rendezvous with Maverick—we'll hitch a ride on Commander Shepard's ship and meet you later."

Tanith hesitated for a moment. _"All… all right, but I'd better see you again!"_

"Maverick was going to head to the Citadel after this," Ryan said, "We'll meet you there, I promise."

"_All right. May the Force be with you."_

In the distance, Ryan saw the _Desperate Measures _flying up, away from Earth. He only hoped that Tanith would be okay. He also hoped that _he _would be okay; if something happened to him, Tanith would kill him.

"When should your ship arrive?" Sera asked, hefting her cannon.

Shepard glanced around the London skies for a few seconds. "Hopefully soon, but the _Normandy _is meant for stealth, not combat; she might have to take the long way."

"Got it. How are you all doing with supplies?"

"I've got a couple of thermal clips for my rifle," Shepard said, then shrugged. "Still, if I run out, I've got my biotics."

"I've got one clip left," Anderson said, gesturing to his pistol.

Ryan pulled out his blaster pistol and handed it to Anderson. "I'll want that back once we're out of here."

Anderson looked surprised, but nodded, then handed his last thermal clip over to Shepard.

"Commander," Sera said, getting the attention of both Ryan and Shepard, "There are incoming Reaper forces. The enemy numbers approximately thirty."

Ryan looked over their cover and saw a crowd of Husks and a few of the arm-cannon-users heading for them.

"Okay, Blade Three, take out those fat guys—"

"Cannibals," Shepard interrupted.

"Sorry?" Ryan said uncertainly.

"We've been calling them Cannibals," Shepard said, "because we saw them eating Husks and even other Cannibals."

Ryan blinked. "Right… anyway, Blade Three, take out the Cannibals. Everyone else: focus on the Husks."

The Blades and Alliance soldiers aimed their weapons; aside from Wek, who was already happily blowing the heads off of the Cannibals, they waited until the Husks were only twenty meters away, to make sure that every shot hit.

"Open fire!" Ryan shouted, shooting a Husk with his carbine.

Everyone else did the same—Shepard, with his rifle and biotics, Bitters, with his two blaster pistols and Anderson with his borrowed one, but it was Sera who stole the show. Her cannon mowed down half of the Husks in just a few seconds, the power of her shots sawing some in half or blowing them apart. By the time the Husks had almost reached their position, there was only a handful left.

Bitters moved back to guard the downed Alliance soldiers and drew his giant vibrosword, Ol' Chopper, while Ryan drew his _beskad _and dagger. For his part, Shepard activated an Omni-tool on each arm; a short, curved blade emerged from the circular section at the hand.

"Let's take 'em down!" Shepard cried, then leaped over their cover, Ryan right behind him. The two easily danced around the flailing Husks, their blades lopping off limbs and severing heads. In a few heartbeats, the remaining Husks were dead.

Ryan nodded approvingly at Shepard's Omni-blades. "How come I don't have one of those?"

Shepard grinned. "Maybe because you have a sword. Hasn't anyone told you that swordplay is a dead art?"

"Tell that to the dozens of people I've killed with it," Ryan retorted.

Before any more banter could be exchanged, a shadow fell over the group, but thankfully, it wasn't a Reaper, but a sleek, graceful ship with the name _Normandy _painted on the side. The rear of the ship opened up, and a pair of soldiers came out. One was a large, heavily-muscled man who was only wearing his BDU's, but fearlessly fired into a mass of closing Husks. The other soldier was a woman with dark-brown, shoulder-length hair, wearing blue armor; she fired at a Cannibal with a look of disgust, scowling as its bullet-ridden corpse disintegrated.

"Come on!" the woman cried, gesturing for them to get onto the ship.

After Anderson handed his pistol back to him, Ryan had Wek and Sera help Bitters move the wounded soldiers onto the _Normandy_. Then it was just him, Shepard and Anderson, but the latter hadn't moved onto the ship.

"Come on, Anderson!" Shepard yelled.

Anderson shook his head. "I'm not going!"

Ryan and Shepard briefly glanced at each other in confusion until Anderson elaborated.

"You've seen what's going on, and people are going to need a leader. I'll stay behind and set up some kind of resistance until help arrives!"

Shepard took a step towards the edge of the ramp. "We're in this fight together, Anderson!"

From their expressions, Ryan could tell that both men had a deep respect for each other; perhaps they had served together, or maybe Anderson had mentored Shepard in the past, but whatever their past, Shepard was clearly devoted to his friend. Ryan was about to try to pull Shepard back so that they could leave before it was too late, but Anderson beat him to it.

"It's a fight we can't win," Anderson said sternly, "Not without help. We need every species and all their ships to have even a chance against the Reapers. Talk to the Council. Convince them to help us."

"What if they won't listen?" Shepard asked.

"Then make them listen!" Anderson barked, "Now go! That's an order!"

"I don't take orders from you anymore, remember?" Shepard shot back stubbornly.

Anderson pulled a set of dog-tags from his pocket and tossed them to Shepard, who deftly caught them in one hand.

"Consider yourself reinstated… Commander."

Reluctantly, Shepard nodded. "I'll come back for you, and I'll bring every fleet I can… good luck."

"You too, Shepard." Anderson turned to Ryan next. "I know that it isn't your fight, Ryan, but please… help us."

In a rare gesture of respect, Ryan saluted. "I'll do what I can, Admiral."

As the _Normandy _took off, Ryan saw Anderson head to an arriving Alliance shuttle and was more than a little impressed. The Admiral was going to head back into the hell that Earth had become, all on the hope that the Council would send help. Ryan felt his own respect for the man rising as the ramp closed up.

Ryan moved to rejoin the other Blades, as well as Shepard and the other Alliance soldiers. He noticed that both the woman and the large man were staring at Wek, and remembered that only a few people in the Alliance had been informed of the New Republic's existence, and thus seeing a new sapient species would be alarming.

"I'm sure you have questions," Ryan said, "But given the circumstances, maybe we should wait until we get somewhere secure."

Shepard nodded, then gave a stern look at the other two soldiers until they did the same thing. "We understand, though maybe we should get the introductions out of the way. I'm Alan Shepard… though I guess it's Commander Shepard again now."

"Lieutenant-Commander Ashley Williams," the woman said brusquely.

"Lieutenant James Vega," the large man said with a slight smile and nod to Ryan. "Think I can get one of those laser guns, man?"

Ryan immediately found himself liking the big Marine, even as he corrected him. "It's a blaster, not a laser. Blasters fire in bolts of energy, while lasers fire in beams. As for getting one… well, like I said, explanations will have to come later. As for who I am, the name's Ryan Nimbus, Commander of the Outcast Blades."

James smirked. "Nimbus? As in the cloud? No way that's your real name, dude."

"Hey, I'll have you know that it's a common name where I'm from!" Ryan protested.

"No it's not," the other three Blades said as one.

"Traitors," Ryan muttered.

Wek held out his hand. "Wek Vaas, call-sign is Blade Three."

James shook his hand. "Sorry about staring at you. Haven't met your species before."

"I'm a Nautolan," Wek said, as if that explained everything.

Bitters was next. "Dirk Bitterman, but if you call me that, I'll hurt you. Call me Blade Four on the field, or Bitters when we're not."

Sera nodded at the Alliance soldiers. "Sera. My call-sign is Blade Five."

Ashley looked at the group quizzically. "Um, aren't you missing someone? Where's Blade Two?"

Ryan sighed. "She's taking our ship back to the fleet; she was going to evac us along with Shepard, but she found a bunch of civilians. We found out that you guys were coming, so I ordered her to get the civvies out of there."

Ashley's expression softened a little. "Thanks for that."

Ryan shrugged. "It's not often that we get a chance to save people. Usually, we just blow things up."

"To my knowledge, this is the only time we have rescued civilians," Sera said.

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Huh. Kind of a good feeling."

James was the one to bring them back to the main focus. "So, where are we going now?"

Shepard's expression darkened; he moved deeper into the _Normandy_, where a pile of armor and weapons lay waiting on a table.

"We're leaving."

"Leaving?" James repeated.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked.

Shepard began putting on a set of armor. "Anderson wants us to go to the Citadel, get help for the fight."

"Bullshit!" James shouted, "He wouldn't order us to leave!"

"We don't have a choice!" Shepard said, turning around to give the larger man a glare, "Without help, this war's already over!"

"He's right," Ryan said, drawing everyone's attention, "Even with my people's technological superiority, we'll get taken down through sheer numbers. If we can get help from the Council's forces, we might be able to strike back before it's too late."

"Yeah?" Ashley challenged, "What do you know about fighting Reapers?"

"Not much," Ryan admitted, "But we went up against a galaxy-spanning, xenophobic government and won, so we know what it's like to be faced with overwhelming odds and still win." Then Ryan removed his helmet, showing the Alliance soldiers his scar and cybernetic eye. "Even if the cost is a little high."

Inwardly, Ryan was smirking; showing his face was the easiest way to get attention from people in this galaxy. It was like no one had seen a scar before.

When James looked like he still wanted to argue, however, Shepard put his foot down. "We _are _going to the Citadel. If you want out, you can catch a ride back from there."

James looked uncertain, but before he voiced his decision, a new voice spoke through the ship's intercom.

"_Hey, Commander."_

Shepard smiled, having recognized the voice. "Joker?"

"_Yep, alive and kicking," _Jeff 'Joker' Moreau said, _"Got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett and someone named Admiral… Mezan?"_

"Admiral M'zan?" Ryan turned to Shepard. "She's my CO… technically."

"Technically?" Shepard repeated.

"We're mercenaries," Wek explained.

"Paid volunteers!" Ryan's protest fell on deaf ears.

"_Hang on a sec," _Joker said, _"I'm patching them in now."_

On a holographic screen near the table, an image of Admirals Hackett and M'zan appeared. Both looked tired and stressed, the result of fighting such a long battle, on top of dealing with a flood of refugees.

"_Commander Shepard, good to meet you at last," _M'zan said, _"I've heard great things about you, but now probably isn't the best time to get acquainted. I don't suppose Commander Nimbus is with you?"_

"I'm here, Admiral," Ryan said, ignoring James' snickers as he stepped into view. "Blade Three, Blade Four and Blade Five are here, but Blade Two's status is unknown. Did she…?"

"_She's fine," _M'zan assured him, _"She touched down inside the _Vengeance _a few minutes ago with the civilians and explained the situation."_

Ryan sighed in obvious relief, as did the other Blades. "That's great to hear, Admiral. We'll meet you at the Citadel as soon as we can."

"_Actually, that's what we came to tell you about," _Admiral Hackett said grimly, _"We need the _Normandy_'s stealth systems for a very important mission, and it can't wait. We were hoping that the Outcast Blades could assist Commander Shepard and Admiral Anderson on mission… where _is _Anderson, anyway?"_

Shepard sighed. "He… stayed behind. He was going to rally our surviving forces and set up a resistance against the Reapers until we returned."

"_I'm not surprised," _Hackett mused, _"In any event, we still need you to head to the Mars Archives. We received news about an important discovery there, made by one Dr. T'soni, and she claims that it's related to the Reapers in some way. Before we could get any details, however, communications were cut."_

"If this discovery was about the Reapers, then they might have moved in to get rid of it before we could use it against them," Wek piped up.

M'zan nodded. _"I'd offer you support for this, but Maverick is still keeping the Reapers from completely smashing apart the Alliance fleet. The fighting is too hairy for the _Desperate Measures _to reach you right now, so you'll have to make do without Blade Two."_

"What about Force Team?" Ryan asked, pushing aside his disappointment about Tanith's absence, "Don't tell me that Starkiller is busy crushing Reapers with his mind and can't help us."

Now M'zan scowled. _"Force Team left on the _Rogue Shadow _less than an hour ago. Kota said that he sensed something important deep in what we now know as Reaper-controlled space. He said that it linked both our galaxies, and that it was Force Team's destiny to uncover that secret. For the near future, we can't rely on their support."_

The four Blades looked at each other with no small amount of surprise. Sure, they trusted Force Team like family, and knew that they wouldn't have left without good reason, but still… to have them abandon the rest of Maverick in the middle of a fight stung them all.

"Remind me to kick the old man's ass later," Ryan said, "Until then, the four of us are ready to assist Commander Shepard."

Shepard nodded in thanks. He'd put aside the talk he heard of someone crushing Reapers with their mind and other galaxies for now; at the moment, all he cared about was that these Outcast Blades had technology and skills that would make his mission that much easier, especially when he only had two other Alliance soldiers on his side, one of whom didn't completely trust him. He glanced over at James.

"Still want out?" he asked.

James smiled grimly and started putting on a set of heavy armor for himself. "To hell with that, Commander. Let's kick some ass!"

Ryan gave a half-smile of his own, the grin distorting his scar. "Let's get this done. Whoever gets the least kills has to buy the drinks."

"I thought that was just a pilot thing?" Ashley asked, though she was starting to get in the spirit of things.

Wek answered as he inspected his sniper rifle. "When you're as good as us, everyone owes you a drink at some point."

Seeing the building enthusiasm, Shepard turned back to the two Admirals and saluted. "We'll get it done, Admirals, you just get out of the system."

M'zan smiled. _"We'll keep the Reapers distracted as long as we can; that should give you a little extra breathing-room while on your mission. May the Force be with you all—M'zan out."_

"_Good luck, Commanders," _Hackett added, looking at both Shepard and Ryan before ending his own transmission.

As Shepard reached for his own armor, he activated the ship's intercom. "Joker, set course for the Mars Archives, and keep the stealth systems active. We've got a mission and an old friend to see."

"_Mars?" _the seven people in the cargo bay could almost hear the pilot's confusion. _"Roger that, Commander."_

"This is loco!" James said, though he didn't look too nervous; in fact, he seemed to be relishing the potential danger.

"You call it crazy," Bitters said, his translator helping him with the Spanish, "We call it an average day at the office."

"What are we supposed to find on Mars?" Ashley asked.

"Unknown," Sera said, checking her cannon, "However, it is unlikely that we would be sent there for no reason."

"Grab your gear," Shepard said, putting on his armor, "It's time to go to work."

**So, that was the first battle at Earth, but it won't be the last. Yes, the Star Wars tech just stomped the Reapers, but consider this: kinetic barriers are meant to stop **_**kinetic **_**impacts, like bullets and missiles and stuff. They wouldn't do jack against energy-based weapons, and the ion batteries, to me, seemed especially awful, since the Reapers seem to be a fusion of synthetic and organic. It would be like if you had chunks of metal replacing parts of your bones, and then someone ripping those chunks out. **

**The second thing is that, upon re-watching the Battle for the Citadel, once Sovereign's barriers went down, it took about ten seconds to kill it. Since the Star Wars weapons ignore the Reapers' greatest defense, it wouldn't take long to kill the larger Reapers, and the smaller ones are just a non-issue.**

**Now, you may be wondering why I sent Force Team off to do their own thing. That's because I have a subplot for them, one that will answer a very good question that one reviewer, Eipok, posed: how are there Humans in two galaxies? Well, that will be answered in Force Team's upcoming adventures!**

**And don't worry, Tanith will come back, just wait until the end of next chapter.**

**As for Shepard, I had the default male Shepard in mind when writing this. I also chose the Sentinel Class for him, because Sentinel is cool. Also, dual Omni-blades FTW! His class, however, is why I chose Ashley to be in this instead of Kaidan. Kaidan is essentially a Sentinel, and I would never have two on my team. Sorry Kaidan, but though I liked you more both as a character and in-game, you were redundant in this story.**

**And yes, I went with the name Alan over the default John for Shepard's name because I like the name Alan.**

**Next up: Old friends, new friends, new enemies, surprises and a robot catfight! **

**I AM URDNOT WREX, AND THIS IS MY MUFFIN!**


	6. Death and Reconnection

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, AS DOES THE RIGHT TO THROW THEM INTO HARM'S WAY ON AN HOURLY BASIS.**

**Hello, everyone! As I've been writing this story, I've been looking back at the Mass Effect games, and if I have to ask: what was the point of putting the Batarians in the game if the Reapers were just going to wipe out 99% of them anyway? Is makes them seem kind of pointless.**

**I've decided to change the rating to T for the moment, seeing as how nothing truly M-worthy has been added. If I need to change it back to M, I will. At the moment, language alone is not enough for me to make it M, and I only had Outcast Blades rated M because of the torture parts.**

**Also, I'd like to thank all the people who have reviewed/favorited/followed this story so far. You make me want to write more!**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 6

Death and Reconnection

**The **_**Normandy**_**, Mars Orbit**

"What a waste of time," Wek complained as Ryan, Bitters and Sera headed towards the _Normandy_'s shuttle, a boxy, graceless thing that was known as a Kodiak.

"You're only saying that because you can't come with us," Bitters told him.

The Nautolan sighed. "Yeah… just stay safe out there, okay?"

The medic briefly patted him on the shoulder, as did Ryan and Sera as they moved past him to get into the shuttle. They would have taken Wek with them on the mission, but they would be landing outside the Mars Archives, and Wek did not have the necessary gear to survive Mars' environment. Only the other three Blades could seal up their armor—though Sera didn't need to breathe, being a droid.

"Hey, at least you can have fun talking to the ship," Ryan offered.

As if on cue, a hologram of a blue ball appeared on the nearest terminal.

"_I am curious to learn more about Mister Vaas' technology, as well as its origins," _the hologram said in a synthesized female voice.

On the way to Mars, the Blades had been introduced to EDI, the _Normandy_'s onboard Artificial Intelligence. While they were only mildly surprised that a government that forbade the use of AIs had one on their most advanced vessel, the only concern they had was when they found out that EDI had been created by Cerberus. However, both Shepard and Joker swore that the AI was on the Alliance's side. For now, the Blades were willing to give the AI the benefit of the doubt, though they still kept the truth of Sera having an AI to themselves.

"Bring me back a souvenir?" Wek asked, almost like a child, much to everyone's amusement, "Or at least shoot someone in the head for me?"

"I will do my best to do the second," Sera said from her seat in the shuttle, "However, I will only do the first if you behave."

Bitters' roaring laughter was cut off as the shuttle's door closed.

…

As Vega—the only one who could fly a shuttle—took team down to Mars, Ryan and Shepard discussed strategy.

"You and I should probably take point once we get inside," Ryan said, "Once we're in the facility, things are gonna get up-close and personal."

"Agreed," Shepard said, even as he checked his shotgun, "Until then, having Blade Five and Ashley in that position will work better. Five's cannon and Ash's sniper rifle will help for eliminating any threats on the way."

With that established, Shepard slipped on his helmet and sealed his armor, a dark-gray affair that had a broad, red stripe with a slim white stripe on each side going from his right shoulder down to the back of his right gauntlet. Some people questioned why he would add such an embellishment to his armor, but after meeting the Outcast Blades, he could honestly say that his own decorations were humble in comparison. After all, Blade Lead had an honest-to-god _skull _painted on his helmet, not to mention that coat.

Ashley seemed to have read his mind, because she leaned over to Ryan. "So, what's the deal with the coat?"

Ryan briefly looked down at the garment in question. "It looks cool."

"Not very professional," Ashley commented.

"Well, I'm not bound by regulations or rules," Ryan shot back, "I could have had fireworks launch from my shoulder-armor every three minutes, and no one could do anything to stop me."

"I would have liked to see that," Bitters said with a grin, before putting on his own helmet.

"Hey, Commander!" James shouted from the cockpit, "I'm getting a transmission from the _Normandy_."

Shepard and Ryan made their way to the front of the shuttle, just as James patched Joker through.

"_Hey, Shepard, I've been trying to contact the base, but so far there hasn't been any response."_

"Could the Reapers have gotten here first?" Ryan asked, "I'm pretty sure Hackett and M'zan would have told us if they had, but they could have missed them."

"_Nothing so far," _Joker said.

"EDI, what have you got?" Shepard asked.

"_The base appears to be online," _EDI reported, _"It's possible that the inhabitants were evacuated."_

"I hope so," Ryan said softly, "I've seen enough corpses for today."

"We'll know soon enough," Shepard said, though he agreed with Ryan's sentiment, "Be ready, Joker… just in case."

"_Roger that. _Normandy _out."_

"We're almost there," James announced a moment later, and the team got a good look at the sprawling, circular base that they were headed to.

"This might take longer than I thought," Ryan muttered.

A short while later, the shuttle landed about a hundred meters away from the base. Once they were on the ground, James got up and put on his black-and-gray helmet, which matched the rest of his armor. He then pulled out an assault rifle and a shotgun, pressed a button on each to collapse them, and placed them on his back.

Ashley did the same thing to her sniper rifle as well as an assault rifle of her own.

In addition to his shotgun, Shepard was armed with an assault rifle and a pistol. Since the assault rifles and shotguns were identical, Ryan assumed that they were basic, standard-issue weapons. Not for the first time since forming the Outcast Blades, Ryan was glad not to be a part of any military; he hated standard equipment.

"Still no word from the base," James said as he joined the others by the door, "On top of that, there's a massive storm headed our way."

"And the bad news keeps on comin'," Bitters grumbled.

"How long till it hits?" Shepard asked, ignoring the medic's complaints.

"Half an hour, tops," James said grimly, "After that, we're gonna have problems keeping up comms with the _Normandy_."

"Maybe not," Ryan said, getting an idea. He pulled out his holocom and began transmitting. "Blade Three, do you read me?"

A moment later, Wek's hologram appeared. _"I read you, Blade Lead. Something wrong?"_

"Not sure yet," Ryan said, "However, the Alliance comms are going to have issues punching through the storm that's headed our way. Do you think we can use our tech to cut through any interference?"

Wek thought about it for a moment. _"Maybe… but I'll need access to the ships comm-relays."_

"EDI," Shepard said into his own comms, "Blade Three needs to get into the _Normandy_'s comms. Don't try to stop him."

"_Understood, Commander," _EDI said, _"Authorization granted, Mister Vaas."_

"_Thanks," _Wek said, _"Gotta go, Lead, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Blade Three out."_

"Think it'll work?" Shepard asked.

Ryan nodded confidently. "Blade Three is a savant when it comes to technology. If he can't figure out a solution, then a solution just doesn't exist."

Shepard smiled behind his helmet. Though he had just met these Outcast Blades, they had a level of trust that went beyond comrades; from their behavior earlier, he found that he couldn't describe them better than as a family.

"All right then," he said, opening the shuttle's door, "Let's move out."

As soon as he stepped onto the ground, Shepard blinked at an icon on his Heads-Up Display. A moment later, orange, transparent plates surrounded his torso, head, arms and legs.

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"Tech Armor," Shepard explained, "Gives extra protection and I can detonate it outwards, damaging enemies."

"Impressive," Ryan said, resisting the urge to poke the Tech Armor, just to test it.

Ashley and Sera led the way forward, the former scanning the area from behind her rifle's scope, the latter ready with her heavy cannon.

"How does she lift that thing?" James asked, then tilted his head at Ryan, "Or is this one of those questions we'll have answered later?"

"Later," Ryan said, his tone steely and his posture suggesting that he was ready for anything.

For a while, there was nothing between the team and the base, save for red sand and rocks. In the back of his mind, Ryan was just grateful that the planet wasn't hot, like Tatooine or Geonosis, despite being desert-worlds as well.

"Contacts!" Ashley hissed over the comms, causing everyone to crouch lower to the ground; they slowly moved up to Ashley and Sera's position at the top of a hill.

Below and in front of them were several armored vehicles, but no one seemed to be manning them. Instead, there were a handful of white-armored soldiers outside, aiming their weapons at three kneeling Alliance soldiers. There were three loud gunshots, and blood burst from the soldiers' helmets.

"Holy shit!" James swore, "They're executing them!"

"Shepard," Ryan said, "we can't alert those guys' friends when we take them out. We'll have to do this quietly."

"Do you have a plan?" Shepard asked, even as he gripped his shotgun tightly in his anger.

"Yeah. I'll take out the rear two; as soon as I do, put a round in the others' heads."

"Sure, but how are you going to—" before Shepard could finish his sentence, Ryan tapped the small disk-like device on the side of his belt, and vanished!

_Huh, didn't know that he could cloak, _Shepard thought, switching to his assault rifle for its longer range, _reminds me of Kasumi. Wonder if he'll say 'now you see me'?_

The five people on the hill waited for several tense seconds, before two blaster bolts shot out from nowhere, each plowing through the helmeted heads of the enemy troops. Then Ryan reappeared, his carbine in his right hand and his pistol in his left; he rolled behind the bulk of one of the nearby APCs, giving the others a clear shot.

Ashley's sniper rifle barked, dropping another target, while Shepard took out another one with two bursts from his assault rifle. James and Sera settled for riddling the others with bullets and blaster bolts. Bitters had hung back, his pistols ready as a backup, but as soon as the enemies were down, he rushed towards the fallen Alliance troops, just in case. When Ryan approached him, the medic shook his head; there was nothing that could be done.

"Well, now we know who we're fighting," Ryan said, pointing at the black-and-orange symbols on the APCs and dead troops, "It's Cerberus."

Shepard scowled. Once again, Cerberus was murdering good men and women, all for their own twisted goal of 'improving and protecting Humanity'. Just remembering that he had to work with these monsters—and that their technology was what brought him back to life—made him feel unclean.

"What the hell is Cerberus doing here on Mars?" Ashley demanded, her question aimed at Shepard.

"Good question," he said.

"You don't know?"

Again, Shepard scowled. Ashley had lost all trust in him once she found out that he was working with—_with_, never for—Cerberus. She had cut all contact with him until earlier today, when he bumped into her with Anderson. It still angered him; after all they had been through together when they were chasing down Saren, she had thrown it all away, refusing to hear his side of things.

"I cut all ties with them," Shepard said forcefully, "They haven't contacted me in over a year."

Without waiting for a response, Shepard led the team up to the base's entrance, where another squad of Cerberus troops emerged. Shepard didn't hesitate; he pulled out his shotgun and shot the first trooper in the throat. Ryan opened fire with his two blasters a moment later, killing another three soldiers. Ashley, James and Sera mowed down the rest, save for one that rolled out of the way. Unfortunately for him, Bitters was waiting with Ol' Chopper in hand; with a mighty swing, the medic bisected the trooper at the waist, where he fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Good God!" Ashley cried, "And here I was, thinking those swords were ceremonial or something!"

Bitters turned to look at her, and Ashley would swear that the big man was grinning at her.

While James was just as surprised at the brutality of Bitters' weapon, he snapped back to observe the area.

"There probably aren't a whole lot of Cerberus troops here," he commented.

Shepard looked back the way they came. "You're right. There aren't enough vehicles for a whole army. Hell, I'd say that there aren't more than fifty of them."

"Not enough to take the facility," Ashley mused, as the six of them went inside, "Think this was an inside-job?"

"That seems the most likely scenario," Sera said, just as Shepard closed the doors, allowing them all to unseal their armor and allow the base's fresh air to fill their lungs.

"Shepard, I need a straight answer," Ashley said after taking off her helmet and attaching it to her belt.

"About what?" Shepard asked, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew already.

"Do you know anything about this? What is Cerberus doing here?"

Ryan, Bitters and Sera watched the building standoff, unsure of what to do. They didn't have enough information about what was going on for them to have any input.

"What makes you think _I _know what they're up to?" Shepard asked.

"You _worked _for them," Ashley said, turning away, "How am I supposed to believe you've cut all ties?"

_Like you cut all ties with me? _Shepard wanted to say, but knew that that would only make things worse. He needed to make Ashley believe in him again so that they could trust each other, and antagonizing her would only make things worse.

"We joined forces to stop the Collectors," he said out loud, "that's it."

"They rebuilt you from scratch," Ashley argued, "They gave you a ship, resources…"

"Let me be clear," Shepard said in a no-nonsense tone, "I've had no contact with Cerberus since I destroyed the Collector base, and I have no idea why they're here now or what they want."

Now James stepped in. "Commander Shepard has been under constant surveillance since coming back to Earth. No way they've communicated since."

Ashley looked down shamefully. "Sorry, Shepard, it's just…"

Shepard sighed, letting out all his frustration with the woman. He knew that it wasn't necessarily her fault; she was an Alliance soldier to the core and, in her mind, he was siding with a bunch of xenophobic terrorists. Unfortunately, Ashley still saw the galaxy in black and white, while Shepard had learned to see everything in gray.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, Ash," he said, as the platform they stood on brought them deeper into the base, "Please… trust me."

"I do, Shepard," Ashley said as they moved on, "It's just that—"

The sound of thuds and muffled shouting brought the team up short, instinctively sending all six of them to find cover in the large cargo bay. Gunshots were heard, and then a figure kicked open the grate of a ventilation shaft and jumped to the floor. Said figure was followed by two Cerberus soldiers, but just as they jumped down, the figure—the Blades recognized her as an Asari, wearing a formfitting suit of light armor and a lab coat—raised her hand.

There was a flash of purple light, and then a sphere of dark energy appeared between the falling Cerberus troops; in defiance of gravity, the soldiers began floating around the sphere, their limbs flailing uselessly. The Asari sneered, then pulled out a pistol and shot the helpless men. When the Singularity that held them up wore off, they fell to the ground painfully; the Asari then walked up and coldly put two rounds through each man's head.

"Whoa," was all Bitters had to say, as the team left their cover.

James had his assault rifle aimed at the Asari, but Shepard pushed the weapon down. "Easy there, Lieutenant. She's with us."

The Asari turned around at their approach and, after a curious glance at the Blades, gave Shepard a warm, if tired smile.

"Shepard, thank the Goddess you're alive!"

Shepard gave the Asari a brief hug. "Good to see you too, Liara."

Liara T'soni looked down. "I was worried when the reports came in. The Reapers hit Earth hard?"

"Yeah," Ashley said in a slightly broken voice, "It was… difficult to leave."

Liara gently put a hand on the Human woman's shoulder. "Ashley, I'm so sorry." She looked again at Shepard. "But… why did you come here?"

"We were ordered to come," Shepard said, not sure if he could tell Liara about Admiral M'zan, "We were told you'd know what was going on."

Liara nodded and gestured for them to follow her. "I do."

James grinned. "Hallelujah. Some answers, finally."

"Maybe," Liara said, "I've discovered plans for a Prothean device. One that could wipe out the Reapers."

"What's a Prothean?" Bitters whispered.

"No clue," Ryan whispered back, "We need to do some more reading when we get back." then he addressed Liara directly. "What kind of device are we talking about? No offense, but large-scale superweapons aren't something I've had great experiences with."

"Unless you have another way of quickly destroying the Reapers, you may have no choice," Liara said archly.

Shepard was confused. "We've known about the Archives for decades; why are we only learning about this device now?"

Liara smirked. "Process of elimination, mixed with a little desperation. When you destroyed the Alpha Relay last year, you bought us some time, but then you were under investigation. I knew I had to do something. Admiral Hackett knew it, too. I contacted him and offered my resources as the Shadow Broker to help against the Reapers. Together, our search led us here." Now she looked unhappy. "I meant to come see you, but…"

Shepard shrugged. "I was under house arrest. They weren't letting any visitors by."

"Okay, I'm missing something here," Ryan said, "I know Shepard is a big hero or something, so why was he locked up?"

Shepard sighed. "The Reapers were about to enter our galaxy last year through a Mass Relay in the Bahak system. They were literally minutes away when I got the chance to delay them, but I had to destroy the Relay to do it… and hundreds of thousands of Batarians in the system died in the explosion."

Ryan winced. Shepard had been forced to make an impossible choice: kill hundreds of thousands of people, or let the Reapers invade early, potentially dooming the galaxy. Having been responsible for a smaller, but comparable, level of death, Ryan could sympathize.

"Back to the topic at hand," Liara said, getting everyone's attention, "My search paid off. The Archives are full of data, an overwhelming amount. I think I found what we need."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it," Shepard said, "Where do we find this weapon?"

Liara shook her head. "It's not a weapon… not yet. It's plans for a device, a blueprint."

"If it is only plans, that means that the galaxy must hold off the Reapers until the device is actually built," Sera pointed out.

"It's more than we had a minute ago," Shepard argued, then turned to Liara. "How do we get to it?"

Liara pointed out a nearby window. "The Archives are just beyond that tramway—assuming Cerberus hasn't locked it down."

"What are they after?" Bitters asked, "Besides you, I mean."

"I can only assume that they're here for the same reason we are," Liara answered.

"But why?" Shepard asked.

"The Protheans were close to defeating the Reapers," Liara explained, "They had plans to destroy them, but ran out of time."

"And anything powerful enough to destroy the Reapers…" Ashley began.

"Just might be something that Cerberus would be interested in," Finished Shepard.

"So it's a race to the Archives," James said, just as a noise caught everyone's attention. They looked up at the second level of the cargo bay to see someone cutting open the door.

"We've got company," Shepard said as they took cover.

"Bring 'em on," James said, raising his assault rifle.

"Not this time, James," Shepard said.

"What!?" James was indignant.

"You're the only one of us who can fly the shuttle," Shepard explained, "We're going to need you for a quick exit."

James growled for a moment. "Fine. Just kick some ass for me, will ya?"

The others nodded, and James went back the way they had come, leaving the team back at six members again.

"Blade Five, set up behind those crates," Ryan said; after Sera started to move, he looked at Bitters. "Blade Four, stay by those stairs. We'll suppress them, and you can rush them."

"Got it," the medic said, quickly moving to the stairs.

Ryan looked at Shepard. "Sorry if I'm overstepping, Shepard."

Shepard shook his head. "No worries. You know your teammates better than I do." He then turned to Ashley. "Ash, try to get some elevation and snipe anyone who tries to get out of our field of fire. Liara, keep them pinned with your biotics."

The two women moved out, Liara crouching behind a large container, while Ashley hopped onto a stack of crates. It was just in time, too; Cerberus had just breached the door, only to be hit with a hail of fire from the level below them. With so much fire being directed towards them, they were clumped at the doorway, making them easy targets for Ashley's sniping—she barely had to aim—and Liara's biotics. Her Singularity lifted half a dozen men into the air, while Shepard used one of his own biotic powers, Warp, to detonate it, turning the floating soldiers into scraps of meat and armor. The remaining men were cut down, literally, by Bitters, the last one suffering a severe case of decapitation.

"Goddess, Shepard," Liara said in awe, once the fighting was done, "Who are those people? I've never seen handheld energy-weapons before, not to mention that one with the sword…"

Shepard shook his head. "Believe me, Liara, I'm just as confused as you are. They've promised to explain everything once this mission is over, however."

Liara nodded in understanding, but Shepard knew how Liara's mind worked. If she wanted to know something, she'd move mountains to get the information. Helping her become the Shadow Broker a year ago had only made the pursuit of knowledge easier.

When the team regrouped, they headed the way Cerberus had come from, with Ryan on point. They passed a few rooms, with several dead Alliance scientists and soldiers, but no Cerberus. As Ryan halted at the exit of one room, he noticed that Shepard was no longer with them.

"Where is…?" he started to ask, until Shepard came around the corner, a satisfied smile on his face. "Where were you?"

"Getting supplies," Shepard replied.

"You still scrounge around for useful stuff?" Ashley asked.

It took a moment for it to click in Ryan's mind. "Are you kriffing kidding me? We're in hostile territory and you're _looting_!? Wait until the Cerberus guys are dead first!"

Shepard shrugged. "It was either now or never. Besides, I scored eight thousand credits, a piece of armor and a schematic for a shotgun upgrade."

Ryan blinked, then turned to Ashley and Liara. "Is this a common thing for him?"

"Ever since we've known him," Ashley said.

If Ryan wasn't wearing his helmet, he'd have been pinching the bridge of his nose. "I really hope Cerberus is around the next corner, because I feel the need to shoot something."

Thankfully for Ryan, there was a small team of Cerberus soldiers that tried to ambush them.

"Freeze!" one of them said.

"Burn!" Ryan snapped back, aiming his left arm at them and unleashing his flamethrower, swiftly reducing them to cinders.

"Damn," Shepard said, impressed, "You have a flamethrower built into your armor?"

"Along with a blade, rockets and a few other things," Ryan replied nonchalantly.

"Remind me not to piss you off," Shepard joked.

"You already did… because of the looting."

Shepard only grinned and waved a small device in the air. "I got an upgrade for my shotgun, so I don't care."

Ryan sighed, while everyone else rolled their eyes.

After a few more skirmishes with Cerberus troops, the team made their way to a security station. The only way they were going to be able to access the tramway was through the station's codes. Unfortunately, their access was blocked, and they found that the only way to the Archives was across the construction area.

While Liara was downloading the map of the area, and Shepard was once again looting the area of anything useful, Ashley and Sera were watching the security monitors. Sera was the first to notice a woman show up on one screen.

"Who is that?" she asked, getting Liara's attention. The Asari's eyes narrowed as she saw the woman—a tall, shapely woman wearing a white bodysuit.

"That's Dr. Eva Core," she said, "She was part of the research team, but I never got a chance to speak to her. I was caught up in my work… oh, Goddess, it was right after she arrived that Cerberus attacked! She must have been the one who let them in!"

Shepard, having finished gathering up all useful supplies, put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "You couldn't have known, Liara."

"But that's just it, Shepard—I'm the Shadow Broker. I _have _to know!"

"You can't get it right every time," Bitters said, his tone darkening, "You can only do your best to make sure that you don't make the same mistake twice. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about; I'm a doctor."

Liara nodded hesitantly, and then her Omni-tool beeped. "I've got what we need. Come on!"

The team got up to follow Liara's route; unfortunately, that route ended up going outside. Everyone who had helmets firmly secured them, while Liara attached a breathing mask to her face. Before arriving, they had tried to get one of those for Wek, but the _Normandy _had not been fully-stocked on certain gear, breath-masks being one example.

"That storm's getting closer!" Ashley commented.

"Let's hope that we can get a quick evac before it gets here!" Shepard shouted, eyeing the dark, ominous storms nervously. He then turned to Ryan. "Do you think your teammate can get us a secure line to James, just in case?"

Ryan activated his comms. "Blade Three, do you read me?"

A moment later, a clear response came through. _"I read you loud and clear, Blade Lead. What's your situation?"_

"We've encountered Cerberus forces en route to the target," Ryan summarized, "We might need a clear signal to Lieutenant Vega—he's back in the shuttle, and we might need to contact him, but this storm might cause interference if we reach him directly. Can we bounce our signal off of the _Normandy_?"

"_Wait one, Blade Lead," _the team kept moving through the half-built pipes as they waited for Wek's response.

"_Okay, EDI and I figured it out," _Wek said, _"You should be able to enhance your signal with the comms up here. Good thing I stayed behind, huh?"_

Behind his helmet, Shepard grinned; this Wek guy was handy to have around. He was sure that Tali would have enjoyed learning about whatever Wek had done to work around the storm. Shepard's smile turned a little wistful when he thought of Tali; he really missed her, especially after how close—romantically so—they had become during the mission to stop the Collectors.

He shook himself out of those thoughts; he couldn't get distracted while on a mission, that could get him killed.

He activated his comms. "James, do you read me? We're testing to see if some modifications we made can cut through the storm."

"_I read you loud and clear, Commander," _James replied, much to everyone's relief, _"I'll keep the shuttle circling the outside of the facility, just in case you need a quick evac or air support. Vega out."_

"Glad to know we got that settled," Ryan said, "Now then, I'd like to get back to killing Cerberus; what about you, Shepard?"

"Oh yeah," Shepard said, his grin back on his face. He and Ryan led the way through the last of the construction, where they found another sign that things were amiss.

"That airlock shouldn't be open," Liara commented, frowning.

Ryan inspected the door. "I don't see any signs of forced entry. Could this have been done via computer?"

Liara nodded. "Yes, but you'd have to bypass security."

"Well, I'd say that someone did," Ashley said, and as they entered the facility again, she recoiled at what she saw. "Oh, those murdering bastards!"

Strewn across the floor were over dozen dead Alliance personnel, but unlike the bodies they'd seen before, these ones weren't killed by gunshots.

"They just opened the doors and let them die," Liara said, disgusted.

"As if I needed another reason to hate Cerberus," Ryan growled.

The next room they went into was completely dark, the lights out. However, this worked to the team's advantage, because the squad of Cerberus soldiers in front of them, separated by a window, couldn't see them. Quietly, Ryan, Bitters and Shepard moved to the window and waited for the other three to prepare their weapons.

Liara, Ashley and Sera shot out the window, dropping the first line of Cerberus troops and surprising the rest long enough for Ryan, Shepard and Bitters to engage with the melee weapons. Ryan's _beskad _and dagger disemboweled a soldier, while Shepard drove one of his Omni-blades through the throat of another trooper. Bitters swung Ol' Chopper with almost casual ease, turning two more soldiers into so much meat.

"Well, I feel a little better," Ryan said, wiping his blades on a fallen trooper, "How about you guys?"

"Yep," Bitters said.

"Uh-huh," Shepard answered.

Ashley rolled her eyes at Liara and Sera. "Ugh, men. They only feel better when they kill someone with their hands."

With the violence over for now, Liara made her way to another security terminal and tapped away. A few seconds later, the airlock behind them closed and the room pressurized.

"There we go," Liara said, "We have access to the labs as well. They'll take us right to the tram station."

Sera inspected another screen at the terminal. "This appears to be a recording of what happened here."

Shepard played the recording, showing that the Alliance security was about to investigate what was happening, when Eva Core stepped in, killing the security in this very room, then depressurizing the area, killing everyone else.

"I hope she's still here," Bitters said, "I really want to kill her."

"You're preaching to the choir," Ashley spat, "A clean death is too good for her."

"I can't believe I let her in on this project," Liara said, "I was just so focused on stopping the Reapers…"

"Stopping the Reapers is the only thing that we should be focusing on," Shepard consoled, "It's not your fault."

"But what if we're wrong? What if there _is _no way to stop them." The Asari was becoming more and more distraught. "What if these are our last days and we spend them scurrying around trying to solve a problem we can't fix?"

"There's no such thing as an unfixable problem," Ryan said, "Just because the answer isn't obvious doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."

Liara sighed. "I know that. But still, with what the Reapers are doing…"

"Just keep going, Liara," Shepard said, "You'll find the answer. You always do."

"I'll do my best," Liara said, "For now, we should probably get moving."

"Agreed," Shepard said, drawing his shotgun and moving out, Ryan right behind him with his carbine.

The team met resistance from Cerberus again, but this time, some of them were armed with what looked like riot shields, using a slot near the top to see, while they fired SMGs with one hand. Ashley killed one with her sniper rifle, the bullet going right through the slot and out the back of her target's skull. Sera's cannon proved more than the thin material of the shields could handle, blowing huge holes through them and the soldiers they protected. With the shields gone, Liara lifted the remaining soldiers into the air with a Singularity, allowing Ryan, Shepard and Bitters to leisurely pick off the floating troops.

"This is almost too easy," Bitters commented, "Even the Empire was more of a challenge!"

"Yeah, I'll take these guys over just about anything else any day!" Ryan replied.

Shepard had no idea what kind of Empire the Blades had been fighting, but if they had been considered pathetic before the Blades had met Cerberus, then this kind of fight must be a light warm-up for them! Then he thought about how there were only three of them fighting now; what were they like at full strength? He was almost afraid to find out.

Once clearing out the troops in their way, and after Shepard, Liara and Ashley gathered up thermal clips from the dead, the team opened the door to the room right before the tramway.

"Look out!" Ashley cried, and everyone immediately took cover as a large, ceiling-mounted turret opened fire on them. "Stay behind cover!"

Shepard flinched when a heavy round almost grazed his cheek. "No kidding! Hey, Blade Lead, you got something to take that out? We don't have time for this!"

"Actually, I think I do!" Ryan stepped out of cover and aimed his left palm at the turret. In that palm was a small, metal disk; using his Palm-Integrated Grappler and expanding the electromagnetic field as wide as possible, Ryan was able to divert the rounds so that they curved around him, even as he walked forward. He wasn't completely successful, however; a few rounds skimmed the sides of his helmet, shoulders, and a few hit his chest. Thankfully, the _beskar _plate held, though Ryan knew he'd be getting a few painful bruises by the end of the day.

Finally, he was close enough to the turret to hurl a thermal detonator, which wedged between the two barrels of the turret. A moment later, the turret, and a layer of the ceiling, disappeared in a fiery explosion.

"Are you all right?" Shepard asked, even as Bitters moved forward to scan Ryan with his Omni-tool.

"He'll be fine," Bitters announced, much to Shepard's relief; even though he'd known Ryan for less than a day, he always hated it when someone died on his watch.

"I really need to find out who made _beskar _armor," Ryan commented, "This stuff is awesome!"

Before anyone could reply to that, the door across from them opened up, revealing another squad of Cerberus troops.

"Kriffing hell!" Ryan swore, even as he opened fire with his carbine and pistol, "I thought they didn't bring an army here; how many of these guys are there!?"

Thankfully, the enemy squad was small, and was quickly wiped out. Once the Cerberus troops were dead, Liara moved to access the security terminal that they'd been guarding. Unlike the previous stations, this one showed a live feed on the cameras. The image that they saw showed Eva Core and a Cerberus soldier walking down a hallway.

"_Set up a perimeter," _Eva Core said, _"No one gets across."_

"_We still have teams on the other side…" _the soldier protested.

"_No one!" _Eva Core repeated, then looked up into the camera. _"And shut down those cameras!"_

She then pulled out a pistol and fired; the screen broke up into static.

"They've made it to the Archives!" Liara realized.

"If they are aware of our presence," Sera said, "they will not send the tram."

"Well, fierfek," Bitters scowled, "What do we do now?"

"Can you override it, Liara?" Shepard asked.

Liara shook her head. "The Archives are on a separate network. We're completely locked out."

"Hey, Shepard, Blade Lead!" Ashley called out, "I've got an idea to get that tram over here."

Ryan and Shepard made their way over to Ashley, who was kneeling over a dead Cerberus soldier.

"Whatcha got, Ash?" Shepard asked.

Ashley gestured to the corpse. "We take the radio from this guy and tell his buddies on the other side of the tramway that we're dead. They send over the tram, none the wiser…"

"And then they're in for a nasty surprise," Ryan said with a grin, "You'd make a fine Outcast Blade with plans like that."

"Thanks, but I'm happy being a Marine," Ashley said, then gripped the black-and-yellow helmet of the dead trooper. "Now, I just need to get this—oh, God!"

Whatever was under the helmet couldn't be classified as totally Human anymore. The flesh was gray and stretched back, while the dead eyes of the man glowed an eerie blue.

"Ugh, he looks more like a Husk," Ashley said, disgusted, "Is this what Cerberus does to its own people?"

Swallowing bile, Ryan gingerly reached into the inside of the helmet and extracted the communicator.

"Here," he said, handing it to Shepard, "I don't want to touch this anymore."

"Gee, thanks," Shepard said sarcastically.

Ashley shook her head, though her eyes remained locked on the Cerberus trooper. "These bastards say that they stand for Humanity, and then they do… _this_… to their own people. I hope you see why I've had trouble trusting you, Shepard—for all I knew, that was what Cerberus did to you."

"How can you compare me to that thing?" Shepard asked, gesturing to the twisted corpse.

"I don't know what Cerberus did when they brought you back to life," Ashley said, "Are you even… you? What if they're somehow controlling you, and you didn't even know it?"

If Ryan was being honest with himself, that was a possibility. After all, Imperial Intelligence had done worse than that to get someone on the inside. Brainwashing Tanith and programming her to kill Maris Brood was a prime example. Perhaps Cerberus could do the same; if they could bring someone back from the dead, what else could they do?

"That's not fair, Ash!" Shepard protested.

"You don't need to convince me… I doubt anything you say could do that, anyway." Ashley looked down, a little ashamed. "I guess I need time to get to know you again."

Shepard felt torn. Once again, Ashley was doubting him, but she at least she wasn't accusing him of _deliberately _colluding with Cerberus; he decided to view that as a step in the right direction.

"I'm the same person I always was," Shepard said, "Time won't change that, but if that's what you need, I understand."

"Thanks… for understanding," Ashley said, smiling slightly.

"You bet."

Ryan clapped his hands together, getting their attention. "Well, if that's all done, you want to make that call, Shepard, or do you like holding onto something that was stuck to a dead guy's face?"

Shepard looked down at the device in his hands and blanched. "Uh, right… let's see if we can get that tram over here."

Deepening his voice, he spoke into the comm. "Hello, this is… Delta team. Anybody there?"

_You don't even know which group you're impersonating!? _Ryan raged in his mind.

Thankfully, they caught a break when a Cerberus soldier answered. _"Where the hell have you been? Never mind. What's your status?"_

Giving a thumbs-up to Ryan and Ashley, Shepard replied. "We're at the tram station, waiting for extraction. All hostiles have been terminated."

"_Roger that. Echo Team will ride over and secure the station."_

Shepard cut the connection and grinned, just as Bitters, Sera and Tanith rejoined them.

"Think they bought it?" Ashley asked.

"Trust me," Ryan said, taking cover behind a crate, near where the tram would arrive, "That trick works more often than you'd think."

The rest of the team took cover, and not a moment too soon. The tram arrived, and nearly a dozen Cerberus troops rushed out. Knowing that they couldn't damage the tram, no one used any explosives, relying instead on blaster bolts, bullets and biotics. Though they were outnumbered, Ryan and Shepard's team had the element of surprise and the high ground, plus the Blades' advanced weaponry; Cerberus never stood a chance.

"Come on," Ryan said, jumping down to the lower level, using a crate to break his fall, "Let's get going before they figure out what happened."

Bitters and Sera followed their leader's example, though when Shepard and his teammates saw the latter land without any difficulty, despite not having anything to break her fall, they wondered what she was. She obviously wasn't Human, like Ryan and Bitters; they had had to roll when they landed, but Sera hadn't even reacted to the impact, even though they couldn't see her face behind her helmet.

Unlike the other half of the team, Shepard, Liara and Ashley took the stairs down to the tram, where the Blades were waiting. Since the tram would take them outside, they all once again secured the seals on their armor.

As the tram began to move, Shepard glanced up at the sky; the dark clouds were now almost on top of the facility.

"It's getting pretty bad," he observed, "We'd better get out of here soon."

"Don't worry," Liara assured them all, "The Archives are at the end of this track."

"Yeah, along with a squad of pissed off Cerberus troops," Ashley commented.

"I don't care how pissed they are," Bitters said, tapping the grip of one of his pistols, "They're all dead."

Ryan turned his head to agree with the medic, but a sudden explosion sent all of them to the floor of the tram.

"Ow," Ryan said, getting up, "What the hell happened?"

"There was an explosive on the tracks," Sera said, "This tram cannot proceed."

"Dammit," Ashley swore, "Now what do we do?"

Shepard looked out the cracked window of the tram and smiled. "We hitch a ride."

Heading in their direction, but on the tracks next to theirs, was another tram, loaded with Cerberus soldiers. That tram stopped next to the immobilized one, but as soon as the Cerberus forces shot out their windows to fire at the team, they were met by a Singularity right in the middle of them. In such cramped spaces, they couldn't avoid it, and the entire squad was gunned down in seconds.

"Let's go!" Shepard said, jumping the gap between the two trams and clambering inside.

The rest of the team followed him, those with Mass Effect weaponry scooping up fallen thermal clips, while Ryan and Bitters only swapped out power-packs for their blasters. Sera didn't need to reload—the pack on her back could keep her cannon usable for days.

Shepard hit a button on the tram's controls, sending them the way they were trying to go. While the rest of the trip to the Archives was uneventful, the reception when they got there was not. Another Cerberus squad was waiting for them, and this time, they had the high ground. However, they lacked versatility in their weapons and skills—all of them were armed with either assault rifles or SMGs, with no biotics or special equipment to speak of. To top it off, they were unprepared for the Blades' weapons, especially Sera's cannon; the droid forced most of the squad to seek cover, allowing the rest of the team to get into better positions.

Shepard used a barrage of his Throw to dislodge the Cerberus troops from cover, whom Liara and Ashley gunned down. After that, the few remaining enemies were taken down by Ryan's sword and Bitters' flamethrower.

"Do all of you have those?" Ashley asked, making sure not to step on the burnt corpses.

"Yep," Bitters replied, "same with our mini-rockets."

"Wow," Shepard gave a low whistle, "are all of you so heavily armed?"

"Says the guy who has more guns than me or Liara," Ashley said, smirking under her helmet.

Instead of replying, Shepard stacked up by the door at the end of the room, the others right behind him. After receiving a nod from Ryan, who was covering him with his carbine, Shepard hit the holographic button on the door, opening it. The team rushed through but, to their relief, there was no Cerberus presence.

What _was _in the room, however, was impressive, even to the Blades. There was a cluster of rectangular pillars in the center of the room, glowing with a soft, green light. The pillars seemed to radiate with the promise of hidden secrets, making Ryan a little glad that Wek wasn't with them—he'd probably want to spend hours here.

Shaking off their amazement, the Blades caught up to Shepard, Liara and Ashley, who had moved to a computer terminal near the base of the pillars.

"So, are those pillars some kind of data-storage device?" Ryan asked.

Ashley looked at him oddly. "How do you not know? Every kid in school learns about the Archives; without the information inside, we'd never have learned so much about Prothean tech so quickly. What, were you raised in another galaxy?"

Ryan and Bitters looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Sera didn't say anything, but her posture suggested that she was amused.

"Oh, you have no idea," Ryan said, shaking his head.

Putting aside their growing list of questions, Liara accessed the terminal, while Shepard stayed nearby, in case she needed help. Ashley and Sera patrolled the area, watching for Cerberus troops that might show up.

As Liara was working, a holo-projector behind them activated, revealing a face that Ryan and Shepard despised.

"_Shepard, Nimbus," _the Illusive Man said, after taking a long drag on a cigarette, then gestured to the pillars. _"Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover, but we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than thirty years, and what have they done with it?"_

"Well, they weren't using it to turn their people into monsters, if that's what you meant," Ryan said, wishing that the man was really here so that he could gut the bastard.

"What do you want?" Shepard said, glaring at the hologram, "Aside from pissing us off, at least."

The Illusive Man took a moment to stare at the Archives, his expression one of arrogance and greed.

"_What I've _always _wanted." _He looked smug. _"The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat."_

"I've seen your bullshit solution," Shepard snarled, "Like Blade Lead said, you're turning your people into monsters!"

"_Hardly," _the Illusive Man scoffed, _"They're being improved."_

"If that's improvement," Ryan said, "I'd rather stay mediocre, thanks."

"_That's what separates people like you and Commander Shepard from people like me," _the Illusive Man said, _"Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control—to dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong Humanity would be if we controlled them."_

"Is he serious?" Ryan asked, getting a nod from Shepard. "Okay, that is the single _dumbest _thing I have ever heard. You want to try to control something as horrible as the Reapers? Even if you had a noble goal like protecting the galaxy—which you don't, because you're an egomaniacal idiot—associating yourself with that kind of evil would taint you."

"He's right," Shepard said, crossing his arms, "That kind of power isn't worth it; it's trampling over the memory of everyone the Reapers destroyed and harvested! And Ryan is right about one other thing: you _are _an egomaniacal idiot."

The Illusive Man only shook his head. _"I didn't expect either of you to understand, and I don't care if you approve. Shepard, you were a tool, an agent with a singular purpose, and despite our differences, you were relatively successful. But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over. _

"_Commander Nimbus, I offered you a chance to share in the glorious future that Cerberus will bring about, but you chose to stand against me. Idealism is all well and good on paper, but it fails in the face of realism. Sharing your technology with us would have seen you all—even your alien allies—greatly rewarded. Instead, you will be killed, your technology will be taken, and your alien friends will be studied for weaknesses. In time, perhaps the humans of your galaxy will see the error of their ways… once we use your own technology to go there."_

"Oh, for crying out loud, shut the hell up!" Ryan shouted, then turned to Liara. "Please finish that download so we can leave!"

"_Don't interfere with my plans," _the Illusive Man warned both Commanders, _"I won't warn you again."_

"Duly noted," Shepard said sarcastically, "But I'm still going to put a bullet in your skull."

"Shepard!" Liara cried out, just as the hologram dissolved, "The data—it's not here! It's being erased!"

"Damn it," Shepard swore, "How's he doing it?"

"It's local," Liara said, "Someone's uploading the information."

Across the room, Ashley and Sera noticed a figure in a small room, accessing another terminal. Both women recognized the figure of Eva Core.

"Hey, you murdering bitch," Ashley growled, "Step away from that console!"

As the Marine moved in to apprehend the Cerberus agent, Eva spun around, knocking Ashley's assault rifle out of her hands and kicking her into Sera, before driving an Omni-tool-covered fist through the console and running off.

The rest of the team heard the commotion and ran over, but Eva was already dashing towards the exit, moving much faster than a Human should have.

"She's got the data!" Ashley cried.

Ryan immediately saw that none of them would be able to stop her quickly enough… save for one of them.

"Blade Five, ditch the gun and take her down!"

Without even acknowledging the order, Sera's power-pack on her back detached and fell to the ground, as did her cannon. As soon as it was gone, she ran after the Cerberus agent, matching and then _exceeding_ the woman's speed.

Though she had initially been built on the chassis of a secretarial droid, Sera had undergone several major upgrades over the years. Though she still relied on her _beskar _armor to shield her from damage, her original parts had been slowly replaced with more durable and combat-effective ones. Unburdened by her bulky cannon, she could move nearly six times faster than any Human, as well as almost eight times stronger. Even with her cannon, she still moved like it was only a large rifle.

Still, Eva had a few seconds' lead on her, and by the time Sera struck her with a flying tackle, they were outside, the storm raging around them.

"You are not Human," Sera stated as Eva got back up, "If you were, that blow would have crushed your spine."

Eva didn't reply, save for aiming her Omni-tool and firing a bolt of superheated plasma, which Sera twisted to avoid, but then took a kick to her face. The blow was strong enough to knock off her helmet, but did no damage to her directly. Sera aimed her left arm at Eva and shot out a wave of flame. Unlike her, Eva couldn't dodge in time, and was bathed in fire, but Sera suspected that it wasn't over.

She was right; Eva stepped out of the flames, her bodysuit burnt away, along with her skin. What remained was a machine designed to look like a woman, but under her artificial epidermis was a chassis of polished metal—even her hair was a metal mass that was shaped to look like hair. Across her optics was an orange, holographic band.

Shaking off the fire-damage, Eva jumped into a spinning-kick, which Sera blocked with her armored forearm. A second later, Sera had drawn her _beskar _dagger and drove it through Eva's knee, before swinging the opposing synthetic into a wall.

Eva fired off another bolt of plasma, which struck Sera in the chest-plate, but _beskar _had been built to shrug off much more powerful attacks. Sera only stumbled back a step, then recovered and kicked Eva's arm down, then stomped on it until sparks spat out. The stomping moved on to Eva's head, and only stopped when the machine didn't even twitch.

Sera ran her Omni-tool over her opponent, confirming that it was offline. She was about to pick up Eva's body and bring it back to the team, when a shuttle, flying Cerberus colors, flew overhead. Without her cannon, she could do little against an enemy vehicle, but she knew where to get help.

"Lieutenant Vega, this is Blade Five," she said into the comms, "I am about to be under attack by enemy air-support. I need you at my location; fire on the Cerberus shuttle with extreme prejudice."

"_You got it, Blade Five," _James replied, _"You might want to get an umbrella, 'cause I'm bringing the rain!"_

A moment later, a blue shuttle flew behind the Cerberus vehicle and fired on it with cannons and rockets. Kodiak shuttles weren't the sturdiest of vehicles, and the Cerberus one fell apart in a large explosion. Just as the pieces rained down, the rest of the ground-team arrived, panting heavily. Sera put on her helmet, then took her cannon back from Bitters with a grateful nod.

"Nice work, Blade Five," Ryan said, after getting the air back in his lungs, "But I hope you didn't destroy her Omni-tool—the data we need is inside."

Sera scanned Eva's Omni-tool to check. "It is undamaged, Commander."

"Good. Grab that droid and we'll take it with us, just in case," Ryan said, heading to the shuttle, though he noticed that Shepard, Liara and Ashley were staring at the Blades.

_Oh, this is _not _going to be fun to explain,_ Ryan thought.

…

**SSV **_**Normandy**_

After the team returned to the ship, and they were well on their way to the Citadel, the Blades told Shepard, his teammates, EDI and Joker—who had limped down to the hangar when he found out how advanced the Blades were—the entire story. At first, they were skeptical; EDI and Liara stated the astronomical odds of Humans evolving in two separate galaxies, Ashley and James thought that it was some crazy joke, and Joker was flat-out denying it. The only one who seemed to believe them was Shepard.

"Everyone said that the Reapers were an impossible story, and look what happened," he reminded everyone, "Who's to say that people can't come from another galaxy?"

"Okay, say we believe you," Joker said, "Where're the rest of your New Republic buddies, and how come they aren't kicking Reaper ass like those other ships I saw earlier?"

Ryan shrugged. "Like we told you, we were sent here by accident. We have only a vague idea of how we're here, and less than that when it comes to getting back."

"And you let AIs just walk around?" Ashley asked, staring at Sera.

"Droids have been part of our society for tens of thousands of years," Wek said, though he didn't look up from where he was getting the data out of Eva's Omni-tool. "We wouldn't get rid of them even if we wanted to."

"Hey, if you don't believe us, ask Admiral Hackett," Bitters said, "He was told about us."

"And why weren't _we _told?" Ashley demanded, "The Alliance—_all _of the Alliance—should have been made aware of this kind of discovery!"

Everyone else—even EDI's holographic avatar—shot Ashley a look that said 'are you serious?'

"If we did that, there would probably be mass panic, especially over our droids, not to mention everyone would be climbing over themselves to get our tech," Ryan said, "We all agreed to keep the circle of Alliance people who knew the truth small. Of course, then the Reapers showed up and shot that plan to hell."

Shepard nodded in understanding. "A whole lot of people saw your ships, and what they can do to the Reapers. Word will probably spread pretty fast."

"_It has," _EDI confirmed, _"I ran a search on the Extranet of vids of energy-weapons. There was a recording of Battlegroup Maverick's efforts over Earth. It already has over ten million hits."_

"Oh, great," Ryan groaned, "We're celebrities."

"I guess you're stuck in this war now, aren't you, Muerte?" James said.

"Muerte?" Ryan repeated.

"Yeah, because of your armor. You're like death on legs." James smirked. "I was gonna go with Reaper, but I think it's taken now."

"_Commander Shepard," _EDI suddenly announced, _"We are getting a transmission from Admiral Hackett and Admiral M'zan. They are requesting your presence, as well as Commander Nimbus."_

"Understood, EDI," Shepard said, getting up and heading to the comm room, Ryan right behind him.

When they got to comm room, the holograms of Hackett and M'zan were waiting. Thanks to the use of Maverick's technology, the signal was strong and clear.

"_Commanders, good to see you both in one piece," _Hackett said, _"Did you make it to the Archives?"_

"We did," Shepard reported, "but so was the Illusive Man."

"But only via hologram," Ryan added, "Otherwise, we'd have killed him."

"_I was worried that Cerberus might try something," _Hackett said grimly, _"What about the data?"_

"We got most of it, but Cerberus got some," Shepard said, "EDI, Liara and Blade Three are analyzing it."

"_Please tell me you got something good out of it," _M'zan said.

"We did," Liara said, stepping around the corner. To her credit, she only blinked when she saw M'zan, then continued. "Preliminary evidence suggests the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device."

"_What kind of device?" _Hackett asked.

Liara activated her Omni-tool and brought up a hologram of what looked like a sphere that had a misshapen rod going through it.

"It's a weapon," she explained, "massive in size and scope, that's capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction."

"It's an Empire-level superweapon, Rila," Ryan said to M'zan, eyeing the image of the weapon in distaste.

For her part, M'zan also glared at the design, then sighed. _"That might be what's needed to end this war quickly, Ryan."_

Ryan scowled, but said nothing.

"_Send us the data," _Hackett said, _"We'll do our own analysis. If Liara's instincts are right, this might be the key to stopping the Reapers."_

"I hope so," Shepard said, then changed the subject. "We're headed to the Citadel to drop off the Outcast Blades. Will the Alliance fleet be there?"

Hackett shook his head. _"No, we're needed elsewhere, but Maverick will be, at least for a while. The Salarian Councilor asked to speak to Admiral M'zan, said it was of the utmost importance. Since you're going there anyway, Shepard, I want you to talk to the Council. Show them what you've found. With luck, they'll give you the support we need."_

"And if they don't?" Shepard asked, remembering all the times the Council dismissed his word, buried their heads in the sand or outright stabbed him in the back.

"_If they don't, especially after all that's happened recently, well…" _M'zan smiled, but there was no warmth there, _"Let's just say that they _really _don't want to get on my bad side."_

"That's her way of saying that you have her support," Ryan said, "She won't really hurt anyone… probably."

"_Do whatever it takes to get the Council onboard," _Hackett said, then saluted, which Shepard returned. _"I'll be in touch soon. Hackett out."_

"_Hurry up and get to the Citadel, Ryan," _M'zan said after Hackett's hologram vanished, _"Tanith has been pestering me for almost five hours now, and I'm starting to lose my mind."_

"I'll do my best," Ryan said, smiling, "See you all soon, Rila."

M'zan nodded, and then her hologram dissolved. Ryan caught Shepard looking at him strangely.

"What?"

"You call an Admiral by her first name?"

Ryan shrugged. "I'm not a member of the New Republic military, remember? I'm not bound by rules and regulations. Besides, we've been friends for years."

"Just friends, huh?" Shepard asked, a sly smile on his face.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm engaged," Ryan said; he hated when people intimated that there was something going on between him and M'zan. "In fact, I'll be seeing my fiancé at the Citadel when we arrive."

"Oh," Shepard said, suddenly feeling like an ass.

"Ahem," Liara said pointedly, drawing their attention to her, "EDI, Wek and I are busy putting the data together. We should have the details ready to show the Council by the time we arrive."

"Wow, I'll finally have 'sufficient evidence'," Shepard said bitterly, "Let's hope they don't sweep _this _under the rug."

"I pray that they don't," Liara said as the three of them left the comm room, "I don't believe we have anything else that can destroy the Reapers."

"My people's technology can; Maverick must have destroyed a hundred of them at Earth," Ryan said, then conceded, "But you might be right. We'll need a way to take the Reapers out quickly, and Maverick only has seven capital ships."

"Well, I've looked at the data," Liara assured both Commanders, "This weapon could be the answer… if we can build it. I get the sense that you don't believe it, Shepard."

Shepard shook his head. "You didn't see what they did to Earth. How is one weapon supposed to stop them?"

"What else can we do?" Liara asked, "You know we can't win this conventionally, even with Commander Nimbus' people's technology." When Shepard looked uncertain, she placed her hand on her arm. "Isn't it worth trying, at least?"

Shepard only shrugged. "I'm going to check that Joker made it to the cockpit without breaking any bones. Be sure to have our findings ready when we get to the Citadel."

"I'm sure the Council will listen," Liara said.

Shepard rolled his eyes; how many times had he heard that before? "It'll be a hell of a short war if they don't."

…

**The Citadel, Three Hours Later**

When the _Normandy _exited the Mass Relay, the people aboard were shocked at the thousands of ships that surrounded the massive station. Some were obviously warships, but most were civilians, desperately seeking refuge at the Citadel.

"Looks like the Reapers have everyone spooked," James commented.

"And with good reason," Ryan said, "They've never seen anything like this."

"Have you?" Ashley asked.

"Not really," Bitters said from behind her, "Yeah, the Reapers are weird, and maybe people would be scared at first, but after what our weapons did to them, I'm pretty sure people would be fine."

Ashley shot the medic a glare. "Way to show us up again," she muttered.

"_Heads up, people," _Joker announced over the intercom, _"We'll be docking in about two minutes. Hey, Commander Nimbus?"_

"Yes?" Ryan asked; during his time aboard the _Normandy_, he found that he liked the snarky, cynical attitude of the ship's brittle-boned, scruffy-bearded pilot.

"_I was told to tell you that there was a ship docked next to where we're headed, called the _Desperate Measures_. That mean anything to you?"_

"Yeah," Ryan said, a grin spreading across his face, "That's my ship."

"_Wait, I see it now… whoa, you actually go outside with that ugly hunk of junk?"_

"That 'hunk of junk'," Ryan said archly, "Can and has taken shots that saw Sovereign-Class Reapers dead."

"_Oh… well, shit, now I'm kinda jealous."_

"Seriously?" James asked as the _Normandy _docked, "Your ships are that tough?"

"No, just our ship, the _Desperate Measures_," Sera said, "Its hull is made of _beskar_, a nearly indestructible metal from our galaxy. Our armor is also made of the same material."

She tapped her chest-plate for emphasis. Despite taking a point-blank blast of plasma, the only damage done was to the red paint, which had a black scorch-mark on it.

James whistled in appreciation. "No wonder you guys are so tough."

As the ship's airlock opened and group stepped onto the Citadel, Ryan saw a familiar, blue-armored form waving at them—more specifically, at him. The Blades immediately headed towards Tanith, who rushed to meet them halfway.

"Are you all okay?" she asked, looking over all of them to check for injuries.

"Just a few bruises and some chipped paint," Ryan said dismissively, "We're all fine. How are you?"

Tanith smiled behind her helmet. "I was worried about you all."

"Sorry," Ryan apologized, while Wek, Bitters and Sera were quick to echo him.

"You're forgiven," Tanith said, looking at those three, before glaring at Ryan. "You, however…" she then switched to a private comm-channel, "You're going to have to do quite a lot for me to forgive you."

"Dinner and wine at my quarters?" Ryan offered, "Followed by music and ending with a lot of sex?"

"It's a start," Tanith said.

"Hey, guys?" Wek called out, getting their attention, "I know you two are having a private moment, but we're heading to see the Council now."

"Actually," came the voice of Admiral M'zan as she entered the docking bay, "We've got a private talk with Councilor Valern in about five minutes. Commander Shepard, the Councilor wanted to let you know that whatever you've got planned, you have the tentative support of the Salarian Union, at least until you give him the details. He said he'll speak to you after he sees us."

"Not a problem, Admiral," Shepard said, suddenly more optimistic about their chances if the Salarians were willing to support him without even hearing about the weapon first.

"See you later, Shepard," Ryan said, holding out his hand.

"Sure thing, Ryan," Shepard said, shaking the shorter man's hand.

As Shepard, Ashley, Liara and James went to see the other three members of the Council, the Outcast Blades followed M'zan.

"What's this about?" Ryan asked as they walked.

"Not sure," M'zan admitted, "But Valern's exact words were 'a discovery of great importance to you was brought to me'. I have no idea what he's talking about, but it sounds exciting."

"More exciting than fighting a bunch of giant droids who come to this galaxy every fifty thousand years to destroy and harvest every advanced sapient species?" Tanith asked.

M'zan pondered that for a moment. "Okay, maybe not as exciting as that."

After a few minutes, the six of them arrived at Valern's office. The Councilor was standing in front of his desk, while several armored Salarian soldiers stood guard in front of something that had a sheet draped over it.

_Maybe he's going for the dramatic approach? _M'zan wondered.

"Ah, Admiral M'zan, Outcast Blades, good to see you again," Valern said, "I heard about what happened at Earth, and I appreciate that you were willing to stand against the Reapers."

"We still do," M'zan said, "We're not ones to run from a fight, and besides, it's not like we can leave this galaxy."

"About that," Valern said, "STG discovered this device in our territory. I ordered it brought here, since it seems to belong to you."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Valern gestured to one of the soldiers, who removed the sheet. For a moment, M'zan and the Blades had no idea what they were looking at, though they gasped when they saw the symbol of the Rebellion painted on one side.

"Do you know what it is?" Valern asked hopefully.

Wek tilted his head. "It looks kind of like a Holonet transceiver, but if you took away all the extra stuff attached to one, and gave it those legs… and made it a lot smaller."

The Nautolan stepped forward and ran his Omni-tool over the device, stopping once he reached the center of the symbol.

"Hey, I've got something!"

Wek tapped at that spot, which slid back into the device, revealing a keypad.

"_Admiral M'zan, enter your security code," _the device said.

All eyes went to M'zan, who shrugged. "Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

She walked up to the device and typed in her New Republic security clearance code. Once she was done, the panel slid back over the keypad. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and then the device opened up like a flower, but with a very small computer terminal that unfolded at one end. At the center of the device, a hologram appeared, showing the image of a figure who was concealed by a long cloak.

The person's hologram turned to face M'zan and the Blades.

"_Admiral Rila M'zan, I see you haven't changed a bit. I guess this goes to show that you should never bet against someone with ten times as many brain cells as you." _The figure then turned to the Blades. _"And the Outcast Blades, too! You look a little worse for wear, have you been in a fight recently?"_

Ryan could swear that he knew that voice, but he couldn't quite place it. "Okay, you know us, but I don't know you."

"_Oh, come on," _the figure said, as if trying to coax the answer out of them, _"It can't be that hard for you. After all, you've only been gone for a little while, but for us over here, you've been gone a lot longer."_

"Enough games," M'zan said crossly, "Tell us who you are!"

The figure sighed. _"Still so impatient. I should have remembered that."_

He lowered the hood of the cloak, eliciting gasps from M'zan and each of the Blades, even Sera. Though the face was weathered and scarred and the hair was gray, none of them could forget that face.

"_Hey guys," _Luke Skywalker said, _"How've you been?"_

… **Didn't see that comin', did ya!?**

**So, aside from that twist, I tried to have a few things remain the same like in the game, but I changed a few other things, obviously.**

**First, Shepard's loadout: he has an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Now, some of you might be thinking that that's a heavy loadout for the game. My response is thus: the weight system was added to affect the game. I am ignoring that for the sake of the story, just like I only made a brief mention of game-Shepard's habit of stealing everything not bolted down, something that I won't mention for the rest of the story. Seriously, all those bank accounts he hacked and safes he stole from in the second game should have given him serious Renegade points. Oh well, maybe he's a kleptomaniac. And yes, I confirmed Shepard/Tali. I like Tali. **

**I hoped you liked my Eva vs. Sera fight. Honestly, I don't think I gave Sera any shining moments in Outcast Blades, so giving her a boss-battle (sort of) is my way of making it up to her.**

**I know I didn't have Wek in this chapter for much time, but considering that he doesn't actually wear a helmet, I couldn't send him out there. He won't get pushed away like that again, though.**

**Next chapter: information revealed, plans are made, and we finally see what Force Team has been up to!**

**That was for my Muffin, you son of a bitch.**


	7. Allied Destinies

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, AS DO THEIR SOULS. IT'S EASY TO GET SOMEONE TO HAND YOU THEIR SOUL IF THEY'VE BEEN DRINKING LONG ENOUGH.**

**Hello, guys and gals! Now, some of you were wondering if I'd hit my head (or the sauce) when you read the ending to the last chapter. Rest assured, my brain is still as crazy and muffin-obsessed as before, and no amount of cranial trauma will change that. As for me drinking, well… if Ewoks start showing up riding pterodactyls, then you know I'm probably poisoning my liver.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 7

Allied Destinies

**The Citadel**

The Outcast Blades and Admiral M'zan stared in complete and utter shock. While he was certainly older, they immediately recognized the face of one of the Rebellion's greatest heroes. Even Sera was struggling to figure out how Luke Skywalker had aged so rapidly; they had only been in this galaxy for a month!

Finally, Ryan was able to say the most respectful, intelligent things that he could think of.

"Luke, you're old."

Luke's hologram made a face. _"I'm only sixty, Ryan, I'm not _that_ old."_

"Only si—how the hell are you that old!?" Ryan demanded, "Last time I checked, we were the same age!"

Luke sighed. _"We suspected that something like this had happened. The exploding wormhole didn't just send you all somewhere else. Traveling across galaxies the way you did takes time; for you, it might have been only a few seconds, but for us, it's been over thirty years. We've missed you all."_

"Whoa," Wek breathed, "We've been gone for over thirty years? What did we miss?"

"_Quite a lot," _Luke said, _"I can send you a list of major events via the terminal on this device. We can send just about any information you might want, even across the distance of galaxies. By the way, what's the galaxy that you're in like?"_

Ryan shook himself out of his stupor. "Well, we're in the middle of a war, actually."

After quickly introducing Councilor Valern, who had been watching the exchange with no small amount of interest, Ryan gave a brief summary of how Maverick had arrived, the confrontation in space and then with the Council, the meeting with the Illusive Man—another thing that Valern was interested in—and then the invasion by the Reapers. When it was explained that the Reapers came from outside the galaxy, Luke's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"_Well, this certainly puts a new spin on things," _he said, _"This might be just what we need to get some serious support for finding a way to send reinforcements to you."_

"Really?" M'zan asked hopefully, then tilted her head. "Wait, won't it take thirty years for those reinforcements to arrive?"

Luke shook his head. _"We studied the plans for The Highway; we've come to understand the process that brought you to that galaxy. It only took three weeks for this probe to reach you, and the signal it sent will allow us to refine the process even further. Next time, it should only take about a week or so for something to arrive, and the beacon in the probe will make sure that we arrive at its location."_

"Well that's… good," M'zan said, "But will the New Republic even _want _to help us? Last time I checked, we weren't on the best terms with Mon Mothma or her supporters."

Luke shrugged. _"Mon Mothma's been dead for years. As for the New Republic… well, we had a bit of a change a few years ago. We're now called the Galactic Alliance. The details will arrive in the terminal."_

Luke looked over his shoulder at something no one else could see. _"Listen, I have some reports to make, and people to convince. Admiral, if you could move this probe to your ship, we'll try to maintain frequent communications. Is that all right?"_

"That's fine," M'zan said, "I'd rather all tech from our galaxy stay somewhere secure. Er, no offense, Councilor."

Valern only shrugged; if the situation were reversed, he'd have done the same thing. He settled for looking pointedly at Wek, who was downloading the information from the terminal.

"I don't suppose the Council could receive a copy of any non-technical information?"

Wek looked at M'zan, who then looked at Luke, who shrugged.

"_I don't see a problem."_

Wek sent over the information, which Valern eagerly read. His Salarian mind processed the material quickly, until he reached a certain point, and his eyes bulged even further. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"I apologize," he said over his shoulder, "I came across something that I must share with the rest of the Council. My security will deliver the device to your ship, Admiral, but now I must be going."

Once he was gone, the Blades and M'zan looked at each other uncertainly.

"What was that all about?" Ryan asked.

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

After transferring the intergalactic communicator to the _Ren's Vengeance_, the Blades, M'zan and the other officers of Maverick began studying the events that had happened after they'd disappeared. Most of what they found wasn't very encouraging.

The first disheartening thing they learned was that battles between the New Republic and the Empire had continued for more than twenty years, with tens of thousands dead on both sides. The only good thing that came out of that was that the Empire would forever lack the resources to become a galactic threat.

One good thing that had happened was that Luke had created a new Jedi Order, with dozens of students joining. The Blades and the rest of Maverick's officers took a moment to hope that whatever Force Team was looking for had better be worth it, because the rebirth of the Jedi would have been wonderful news to them especially.

Unfortunately, eight years ago, according to the information, tragedy struck. A new race, called the Yuuzhan Vong had attacked the galaxy at large. The frightening aspect to it all was that the Vong weren't even from their galaxy, but a completely foreign one. They had traveled through Dark Space for centuries, searching for a new home to conquer. The odd thing about their society was that everything was organic: their ships, weapons and even their clothes were living organisms. This had been a major aspect of their lives and their religion for thousands of generations, and when they discovered a galaxy filled with nonliving technology, they declared a religious crusade against it.

Trillions had died in the three-year war, and whole systems had been wiped clean of life. What infuriated everyone was how hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people had openly sided with the invaders, calling themselves the 'Peace Brigade'. These cowards had sold out their friends and neighbors for safety or drugs. Of course, the safety was only temporary, as the Yuuzhan Vong would sacrifice the members of the Peace Brigade to their gods.

For Maverick and the Blades, there were also some personal losses as well. Admiral Ackbar had died near the end of the war, though he had died in his bed, not in battle. The Wookie Chewbacca had also perished, but had been killed during an evacuation, when the Vong had dropped a moon onto the very planet it orbited. Chewie had been unable to get away, choosing instead to save the life of Han Solo's youngest son, Anakin Solo. Ultimately, Anakin would eventually die saving the lives of a Jedi strike-team that had set out to destroy the source of the Vong's anti-Jedi weapons, which had killed over half of the growing Order.

In some ways, Ryan could now understand Luke's reaction to the news of the Reapers. There were certain parallels, though the religious fervor was replaced with cold, logical determination.

Finally, with the aid of a living planet, rebel Vong and the unification of almost every major power in the galaxy—which was called the Galactic Alliance, and included the New Republic, the Chiss Ascendancy, the Hapes Consortium, and the Imperial Remnant—the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated, and the galaxy had been experiencing a technological renaissance for the last five years, as well as unprecedented prosperity and peace. Having obtained the resources recently, a few members of the Rebellion who personally knew the members of Maverick, as well as Force Team and the Blades, began investigating their disappearance.

There were other events, some happy, most sad, and more than a few tears were shed at the news of friends and loved ones that had died. Ryan found himself with one arm around a red-eyed Tanith, while his free hand was busy patting M'zan's, who had looked shaken at the news of Ackbar's death.

"So," Ryan said softly, "What happens now?"

M'zan seemed to snap out of her shock. "Well, we know that people back home are not only looking for us, they seem to be ready to come over here. At the moment, the only thing we can do is keep fighting so that the New Republic—sorry, the Galactic Alliance—actually has someone to rescue."

The other officers and Maverick nodded, their expressions determined. M'zan then turned to Ryan.

"Commander, I have a mission for you and your team."

Ryan stood up, though he didn't let go of Tanith's hand. "Yes, Admiral?"

"From what I've heard from Admiral Hackett, a lot of this war is going to hinge on Commander Shepard's actions. I want you and your team to accompany him, or at least go on any missions that he needs you to do."

"What about Maverick, Admiral?" Captain Fibb asked, "We're not just going to sit here, are we?"

M'zan grinned. "Oh hell, no! We're going after the Reapers with everything we've got! I'll speak to Admiral Hackett on where we're needed, but I'm going to explain how _we _decide on what missions we go on. We have the power, but not the numbers, so we'll only head to the most critical fights. In the meantime, I want every ship in the battlegroup, from the fighters to the _Vengeance _herself to be ready at all times. If it looks like it needs to be fixed, fix it, and encourage all of our engineers to come forward with ideas; if it makes our systems or weapons even a little better, I want to know about it."

With the enthusiasm of the Admiral infecting them all, along with the promise of reinforcements from home, the officers of Maverick grinned, got up and headed to their own ships. Some of them were even giving orders to their crews via their own comms. In a few moments, the only ones left with M'zan were the Outcast Blades.

"Rila, I had one question," Ryan said.

"And that would be?" M'zan asked, biting back her usual annoyance that occurred whenever someone said her first name.

"Have we had any word from Force Team?" Ryan asked, "It's not like them to just leave in the middle of a battle. This whole thing just rubs me the wrong way."

"I feel the same way," M'zan said, "But it's not like I could stop any of them. Kota just said that the Force was calling him; next thing I know, the _Rogue Shadow _was out of here."

Ryan sighed; Force Team was a major asset, and would have been invaluable in just about any operation. The loss in power aside, the Blades and Force Team got along like family, and they were beginning to worry.

"Where are they?" Ryan whispered to himself.

…

**The Citadel**

When Valern arrived at the Council chambers, he barely acknowledged Commander Shepard or Dr. T'soni. Instead, he marched up to the other Councilors and slammed his hand on the table. Getting everyone's attention from the act, Valern then told them all what had happened in the other galaxy, specifically the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. Though the names of people and places meant nothing to anyone there, by the end of Valern's words, they were all staring at him, openmouthed.

"Spirits," Sparatus said softly, "Trillions died in their own war? Whole systems were wiped clean of life?"

"Even their capital world, Coruscant," Valern said gravely, "But you're all being blinded by the losses to realize one thing."

"What is that, Councilor?" Liara asked.

"They _won_," Valern said, "They were faced with an enemy they were unprepared for, one that had abilities that outstripped nearly everything anyone in that galaxy had, at least for the first half of the war, and still they won! If they can win then and there, we can win here and now!"

"And how exactly _did _they win?" Shepard asked, though he had a feeling that not only was he going to get the answer, it was one that he was going to like.

"They did it by standing united," Valern said animatedly, "They put aside old grudges and hatreds in the face of total annihilation, pooled their resources and armies and beat the enemy back. And that is exactly what we need to do now!"

Valern briefly activated his Omni-tool, tapped away at it for a few seconds, nodded when he got a response, then looked at Shepard and Udina.

"Councilor, Commander, I know that you seek an alliance to retake Earth. I have contacted my people's leadership, and they have agreed to my proposal. As of now, the Salarian Union pledges its total support to a coalition to oppose the Reapers. Ships, soldiers, supplies, technology—whatever you need, we will provide."

Even the normally composed Tevos gaped at the Salarian Councilor. While not as strong militarily as the Turians, nor as wealthy or as gifted via biotics like the Asari, the complete support of the Salarian Union was not a trifling thing.

"T-thank you, Councilor," Shepard said, shaking the Salarian's hand, "That means more than I can say. If you really mean that, Liara has a project that could use your people's technological expertise."

Liara brought up a hologram of the Prothean device, which she'd come to call the 'Crucible'. Valern studied it for a few moments, then smiled.

"I know a few people in the STG who would be more than happy to help out," he said.

"Are you sure about this, Valern?" Sparatus asked, though he didn't look as upset as Tevos.

"I am, Sparatus," Valern said gravely, "And for the sake of everyone in our galaxy, I suggest that the Turian Hierarchy do so as well."

Sparatus sighed. "I would, but some… issues… have recently developed. However, if Commander Shepard is willing to stay here after this meeting, he might help resolve those issues."

Valern nodded; the STG had reported the appalling losses that the Turians faced at their own homeworld, Palaven. At the moment, they weren't in a position to help anyone else. There was just one other person to speak to, but Valern wasn't holding out much hope.

"What about your people, Tevos?" he asked, "Will the Asari join this coalition?"

By then, Tevos had regained her composure and sighed in what appeared to be sympathy, but Valern and Sparatus had known their Asari counterpart for years. They saw right through the façade, and their opinion of her lowered even before she spoke.

"Regrettably, I must decline," Tevos said, "My people can use this time to prepare our own forces and fortify our own worlds."

Sparatus snorted. "Right, because the Asari military has such a _magnificent _reputation. It's a wonder you need my people for anything."

Valern did not resort to sarcasm, he was too angry. "Did you not hear a thing I said before? If we don't want to lose billions of lives across the galaxy, we have to create a united front _now_! If the members of the Galactic Alliance united sooner, perhaps they would have suffered fewer losses! This is our chance to learn from their mistakes, Tevos!"

Tevos stood up. "You do what you believe is best, Councilors, and I shall do the same. Good day."

Once she was gone, Valern began to fume. "That… that…"

"Bitch?" Shepard supplied helpfully, only to get looks from everyone else. "What? I'm a Spectre again, I have that kind of authority. Besides, freedom of speech and all that."

Valern shook his head, his earlier frustration now replaced by mild amusement. "If you'll come this way, Councilor Udina, Doctor T'soni, I believe we must discuss our newfound coalition, as well as details regarding this Crucible."

Once the three were gone, Sparatus turned to Shepard, but only managed to open his mouth when the door opened again. Instead of Valern, Udina or Liara, however, it was Ryan who walked in, minus his armor. Both Sparatus and Shepard noted that the leader of the Outcast Blades was still intimidating, even without his armor and weapons, though Shepard figured the scar on the man's face was the reason.

"Can I help you with something, Commander Nimbus?" Sparatus asked.

Ryan nodded. "My team and I have been tasked with assisting Commander Shepard for the foreseeable future. Whatever you need us for, Commander, we're willing and able."

Shepard grinned and shook the shorter man's hand. He'd seen the Blades in action, both on Earth and on Mars, and knew that they were good, maybe even better than some of the N7 program's best, and he should know, since he was one of those best.

"I'm happy to have you with us," he said, "I think we'll be needing you soon." He then quickly summarized everything that had happened since his meeting with the Council began.

"Indeed," Sparatus said, "Even before Commander Shepard brought forth his idea for a united coalition, we were planning a War Summit between as many races as possible. The Turian Primarch was the driving force behind the Summit, but unfortunately, he's disappeared."

"Your people's leader disappeared?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sparatus nodded. "He was inspecting the defenses of our homeworld, Palaven—specifically, one of its moons, Menae—when the Reapers hit. We have no idea if he's alive or dead, and if it's the latter, High Command will have listed a successor. At the moment, Commanders, you're all we can spare to assure the Primarch's safety."

Shepard and Ryan looked at each other. If the Turians joined the newfound coalition, that would place the galaxy's largest and most powerful military on the path to retaking Earth. On top of that, the Turians' client race, the Volus, would join as well; the galaxy's best bankers and merchants would be a booster shot to the war-effort.

"We'll get your Primarch, Councilor," Shepard promised, "Just let me get a few things squared away—personnel, weapons, supplies—and we'll be off within three hours. Does that work for you, Ryan?"

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, that's fine. We're just stocking up on supplies of our own. I'm not sure how long we'll be separated from Maverick, so we might not have a chance to resupply for a while."

Shepard nodded. "Good. Once we're ready, we'll link up at the Relay. Anything else?"

"Just one thing," Ryan said with a slight smile, "We were able to make contact with our home galaxy. Apparently, some friends of ours are close to figuring out how to send reinforcements here; all they need is the go-ahead from the higher-ups. It's not set in stone, but I'm pretty sure that the Galactic Alliance will want to join this coalition as well."

Shepard's eyes lit up. "Fantastic! Can you keep us apprised of any developments?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, no problem. Considering what happened with the Yuuzhan Vong, I doubt anyone back home is going to ignore something similar happening again."

To the shock of both Humans, Sparatus actually bowed his head at that comment. "You have no idea how hopeful that makes me. Once again, I apologize for my actions last month, when I ordered C-Sec to arrest you. If you don't mind, could the Council spread word of this if your people decide to aid us?"

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Not until those reinforcements actually arrive. If we tell everyone that someone's coming to save the day, they might let their guard down, thinking that it's all over. We can't afford that kind of attitude, no matter if it's warranted."

"I agree," Shepard said, "Complacence in a warzone is just as bad as panic."

Sparatus nodded. "Very well. I won't hold you here any longer."

The Councilor left for his quarters, while Shepard and Ryan walked out of the room together.

"So, what kind of forces are you guys packing right now?" Shepard asked.

"Well, there's us, the Outcast Blades," Ryan said, "The larger ships in Maverick can take out a dozen of the larger Reapers each pretty quickly, while the Corvettes and Missile Gunships can handle those Destroyers without too much trouble. We've also got a couple hundred fighters and bombers, plus a few thousand marines, but I don't think the troops will see much action. They're more for boarding actions, but from what I've read about the Reapers, that's a really bad idea."

"Yeah, spend too much time around a Reaper and you get Indoctrinated," Shepard said, suppressing a shudder, "You start hearing voices, and then you want to serve them. Soon, your mind starts to decay, and you're turned into one of their creatures, like the Husks. It's the worst thing I can imagine."

Ryan blinked. He hadn't known about the Reapers' ability to influence minds; he'd just assumed that the Reapers ate people, modified them and then spit them back out or something. He'd have to watch out for that.

Carefully masking his brief spike of fear, he nodded at Shepard. "I'm going to get my team ready. I'll see you at Palaven, Alan."

Now it was Shepard's turn to blink, though he also froze in place and stared at Ryan.

"What did I say?" Ryan asked.

"Sorry, it's just that no one ever calls me by my first name," Shepard said, "I mean, my mom does, and so does… um…"

"Someone you care about?" Ryan asked, noting the slightest hint of red on Shepard's face.

"Yeah, her name is Tali," Shepard said, composing himself and the two resumed walking, "She's a Quarian, and she helped me out during my first mission as a Council Spectre. Two years later, she helped me again to stop the Collectors. We'd gotten close during that first mission to take down Saren, but it was more of a brother-sister relationship. Two years later… she grew up, one thing led to another…"

"Say no more," Ryan said, smiling. "So, have you seen her lately?"

Shepard shook his head. "Not for a year. She went back to the Migrant Fleet to help her people, and convince them to get ready for the Reapers. I don't know how well that went, though."

"Well, if we're uniting all the species of this galaxy, maybe you'll see her again when we have to recruit the Quarians?"

Shepard smiled. "I hope so."

Ryan lightly punched Shepard on the arm. "Come on, Mister Big-Time Hero, let's get moving. The galaxy's not gonna save itself, is it?"

Shepard gave a weary chuckle at that. "Sometimes, I wish it would. Then I wouldn't have to spend all my damn time trying to save it!"

Ryan grinned. He had a feeling that he and Shepard were going to get along just fine.

…

**The **_**Rogue Shadow**_

"You do know that Admiral M'zan will kill us when we get back, right?" Captain Juno Eclipse said to Captain Rex, who was sitting in the copilot's seat of the ship.

"Of course she will," Rex said dismissively, "That's why we hang out with Jedi—we can just hide behind them until the Admiral cools off."

Before Juno could offer her own comment on that, the ship's intercom crackled, and then General Kota's gravelly voice was heard.

"_Juno, are we almost there?"_

"Almost, General," Juno replied, checking her instruments, "The coordinates you punched into the navicomputer match up to a system in the Council databanks, called Despoina. It's not officially forbidden to go there, but it isn't a place that people _should _go, either; apparently, ships have a tendency to disappear in that system."

"Hopefully we'll have better luck," Rex muttered, but not quietly enough for a certain Jedi to hear him.

"_Trust in the Force, Rex," _Ahsoka chided, _"We came here for a reason, and I'm positive that dying isn't it."_

"How 'bout I just trust in you guys, since I can't actually feel the Force?" Rex shot back.

A third voice sighed over the intercom. _"Juno, are we there yet?"_

Juno smiled at her husband's tone. Starkiller could be so childish when he wasn't in combat.

"Almost, Galen. We should be coming out of hyperspace within a few minutes."

"_All right," _Kota said, _"Have Rex meet us at the ship's ramp the moment we enter the atmosphere. We're taking everyone on this one, Juno, so as soon as we're off, take the _Shadow _up, but be ready for a quick extraction, just in case."_

"Understood, General," Juno said professionally, despite the change in Force Team's usual MO. Typically, the team left one member, usually Rex or PROXY, to guard the ship while the rest of them went on the mission. For Kota to want everyone for this, he must have been really serious about this mission.

Shortly after the battle in the Sol system, Kota, Ahsoka and Starkiller had been struck by the same vision; they had then convinced the non-Force-sensitive members of the team that they needed to go, as quickly as possible. There hadn't even been time for a proper explanation to M'zan.

Juno had kept tabs on what had been happening in the galaxy, however. Earth had fallen shortly after Force Team had left, leaving billions of people to the Reapers' nonexistent mercy. The rest of the Council races had been indecisive, like the Asari, or under attack themselves, like the Turians. What had surprised Juno, however, was when the Salarians and what was left of the Systems Alliance announced that they were forming a coalition to fight back against the Reapers. It was a good sign that the various factions of the galaxy were uniting so quickly in the face of the invasion. For some reason, Juno had a feeling that either Maverick or the Outcast Blades had had a hand in that.

"Approaching drop-zone," she announced as the _Rogue Shadow _dropped out of hyperspace, "ETA to landing is three minutes."

The planet that they were headed to rained constantly and was almost completely covered in water, but Kota was confident that they would find a suitable place to land. As they entered the atmosphere of Despoina, Juno saw that Kota was right: there was a small, metallic platform at the coordinates the Jedi had given. It looked like the remains of a ship, though that didn't give Juno any comfort. Still, the Jedi had never steered her wrong before, so she brought the _Rogue Shadow _in closer.

When the ship was only fifty meters above the platform, a wave of energy pulsed outwards, catching the ship. Thankfully, it didn't affect them, save for a slight jostling.

"_Juno, what was that?" _Ahsoka asked.

Juno checked her instruments. "It seems that whatever hit us was intended to take out the Mass Effect core of a ship. Since our ship doesn't utilize any Mass Effect technology, we weren't affected. Still, try to finish this mission as soon as possible. Whatever that was may try again with something that might work."

"_Understood, Juno," _Starkiller said, _"Just get somewhere safe, all right?"_

"I will," Juno said, smiling at her husband's caring words, "Be careful, all of you."

…

As Force Team hopped out of the ship, they took in their surroundings. Other than the churning waves and pouring rain, the only thing around them was the rusting platform below their feet. It was old, older than any ship they'd seen in this galaxy so far; it might not have belonged to any species that was still in existence.

"Stay sharp," Kota said, his deactivated lightsaber resting firmly in his hand.

"Right, because I was going to let my guard down in a creepy place like this," Starkiller said sarcastically.

"Knock it off," Ahsoka said crossly, even as she looked around. "Do you feel it?"

The other two Jedi nodded, but PROXY and Rex had no idea what they were talking about.

"Someone want to explain what's happening to the non-Jedi?" Rex asked.

"Ever since arriving in this galaxy," Kota explained, even as he began walking forward, "We've felt something calling to us through the Force. I don't think it was intentional, however; this thing, or things, presence in the Force is so strong that we couldn't ignore it. Whatever it is, I know that it is tied to our own galaxy, but I don't know how."

"That's why we're here," Ahsoka said, "We need to know the answer."

"Master," PROXY called out, "I am detecting movement ahead. There are several dozen individuals headed in our direction."

"The Reapers," Kota murmured, "They seek the same thing we do."

"How did they get here before us?" Starkiller asked, even as he activated his lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_.

As if in answer, Juno spoke over the comms. _"Force Team, I've detected at least one Sovereign-Class Reaper on the other side of the planet. I didn't detect it earlier because it seems to have been running silent until just a moment ago. It's headed in your direction; whatever you're going to do, you'd better do it fast!"_

"How long do we have?" Rex asked, even as he pulled out his sniper rifle and put a bolt through a Husk's head.

"_I'd say an hour, maybe two," _Juno answered, _"The storms in its way might slow it down."_

"You heard the lady," Kota said, leaping through the air to land amidst a pack of Husks and Cannibals, slicing them apart with his emerald lightsaber, "Let's get this done!"

Ahsoka charged forward, blasting a Cannibal off the platform with a Force-Push, then cutting down a handful of Husks with her green lightsaber and blue _shoto_. PROXY was right behind her, creating a hologram of a red-and-black-skinned Zabrak, holding a red, double-bladed lightsaber. A few wide swings later, four dismembered Cannibals lay at his feet.

Before the Togrutan Jedi could comment on PROXY's use of Darth Maul, Starkiller leapt over them, frying a dozen Husks with Force Lightning, then threw his lightsaber at another, slicing through it and two others as it returned to Starkiller's hand.

"Show-off," Ahsoka muttered.

"You're just jealous," Starkiller said with a smirk.

Further banter was interrupted by a dull, animalistic roar. The five teammates looked for the source of the noise, just as an upraised chunk of the platform was literally ripped apart by a massive Reaper soldier. It's body was huge, easily three meters tall, with a wide bulk, a head that looked like a Turian's, and large, asymmetrical arms; one hand had large, meaty finger, while the other ended in a giant pincer.

"Oh, this should be fun," Rex said sarcastically, aiming his pistols.

"I know, isn't this great?" Starkiller asked, his tone completely genuine.

With another roar, the giant Reaper soldier charged. Between three experienced Jedi, however, it stood no chance. Ahsoka slid under the creature's clumsy swing, then severed one of its legs with her _shoto_. The thing barely had time to roar in pain before Kota lifted it into the air with the Force, while Starkiller made an upward swing with his lightsaber, which was infused with Force Lightning, slicing the monster in half up the middle.

"See, that's why I like Jedi," Rex commented to PROXY, "They might drag us into the worst situations, but they're good at getting us back out."

At that moment, all three Jedi froze and stared—even the blind Kota—just off to the left of the platform, where the water looked like it was boiling.

"It's here," Kota said softly.

Before Rex could ask what 'it' was, a massive creature burst forth from the water. It was a titan, something so enormous that its own evolution seemed impossible. It was similar in form to the Reapers, resembling an Earth squid. It was dark-blue and sickly-green in color, with thick, ridged plates over its body. It floated in front of the platform and stared down at the five people in front of it with six unblinking eyes.

"Do you think they will get us out of _this_?" PROXY asked Rex, who would have shot the droid a look if he wasn't terrified.

_**You have heard our call.**_

All of them, save for PROXY, had heard the creature's booming voice in their heads, but Kota, Ahsoka and Starkiller recognized the extra sensation that came with it.

It was the Force. Primal, unrestrained, but neither Dark nor Light, it was the Force in its most natural state. Despite the near awe-inspiring creature before them, the Jedi found some sense of familiarity; in their time in this galaxy, the Force had seemed muted somehow. It was a relief to find another being that was Force-sensitive.

Kota stepped forward. "We have. You were calling us specifically?"

Through the Force, the Jedi could feel the creature's irritation, as if it was offended that they dared speak to it.

_**You have the Gift. This should not be possible. Only we are worthy of such power!**_

"You speak of the Force," Kota said, "In our galaxy, most species have individuals capable of learning its ways."

The creature stared down at them imperiously.

_**You are inferior to us. Worship us!**_

The Jedi could feel the attempted Force-Persuasion, but fought against it. PROXY, being a droid, was unaffected, but Rex fell on his shaking knees. He knew what kind of influence the Force had on people and struggled to retain his free will, but all he got for his efforts was a bloody nose.

"Let him go!" Ahsoka demanded, resting one hand on Rex's back, drawing on the Force to push back against the creature's influence.

After a moment, Rex stopped shaking. "Thanks, Commander."

Starkiller, for his part, was glaring at the giant. "What makes you think you deserve to be worshipped?"

_**We were a mighty empire before you pathetic creatures were even amoeba! The fact that you live in two galaxies is thanks to **_**our **_**influence. We are the ones who spread your ancestors to the stars, so that you would one day be tools against our rebellious servants. Worship us!**_

"Like hell we will," Starkiller snarled, "Now give us a straight answer! Who are you? What's your connection to our galaxy and the Reapers?"

The creature seemed to realize that demanding worship would not get it anywhere. Despite not moving since it surfaced, it almost seemed to sigh.

_**Before any others, we grew in the oceans of our world. On the land, lesser beings began to walk. They were inferior, and we made them our thralls. They worshipped us, and in turn, we protected them. Our influence spread throughout the stars, and we were mighty, the apex race of the galaxy.**_

_**Then we found a disturbing trend in our servants. In order to make their lives easier, they created synthetics. The creations overthrew the creators. It happened time and again, and we knew that it would not end on its own. To combat the threat of synthetics, we created the Intelligence, and gave it a single purpose: to protect and preserve life from synthetics. For a time, peace was maintained.**_

_**But we were betrayed.**_

_**The Intelligence believed **_**us **_**to be a threat. We, the Leviathans, greatest of all living things! Our race was harvested, melted down and recast as a pale imitation, that which you call 'Reapers'. The first abomination was called Harbinger, and it led a great cleansing of the lesser races, creating more Reapers. They hunted us down to a mere pitiful few. Every time they return, they harvest the inferior, as well as search for us. We must hide, sacrificing the inferiors until our strength returns. When we do, the galaxy shall be ours again!**_

"You still haven't told us what all this has to do with us," Ahsoka said; the Leviathan stared at her, and she defiantly stared back.

_**We had a contingency. The Intelligence had one flaw: it could not look beyond its territory. We used that to our advantage, seeding the ancestors of useful races on other worlds, in other galaxies. It would take millions of years, but our tools would eventually be drawn back to their home, and they would fight for us. We would be worshipped once again!**_

Force Team stared at the Leviathan in shock. If what it said was true, then this galaxy was Humanity's home; the Leviathans had taken some of them and hurled them off to parts unknown. And that meant that everything that Humans thought about themselves in that galaxy was a lie.

_**You sense the truth. You realize your destiny. You will cast down the Reapers and the Intelligence, and you shall worship us!**_

"SHUT UP!" Starkiller roared, hitting the Leviathan with a Force-Push strong enough to rip a Star Destroyer in half. "We will never worship you, no matter what you are! You're pathetic; you claim to be mighty, but all you've done is hide for millions of years, hoping that the same races that you look down on will save you. Well, news flash: we're going to stop the Reapers because it's _right_, and you're going to help us, or so help _me_, the Reapers won't be your biggest fear. _I will_!"

Staggered, the Leviathan nearly sank below the waves again, but righted itself in time.

_**You dare strike me, inferior!? You shall pay for your—no! You fools! You have led the imitation here! Defend me! Worship me!**_

Again, the Jedi felt the Leviathan try to take over their minds, but fought against it, just as the Reaper arrived.

"I thought Juno said it would take at least an hour to get here!" Ahsoka said.

"Only because of the storms," Kota replied, "I might be blind, but I can't feel rain hitting my face anymore."

He was right; as soon as the Leviathan had risen, the rain had stopped. Apparently, the Leviathan couldn't influence both them and the weather at the same time.

Grinding his teeth, Starkiller reached out with one hand at the Reaper and clenched his fist. With a shriek of twisting metal, the Reaper crumpled like tinfoil and dropped into the sea. Taking a deep breath to regain the energy needed for such a feat, Starkiller turned back to the Leviathan, who was doing a fairly good job of looking shocked.

_**The Gift… it should not belong to inferiors. How have you done this? How could you have surpassed… us?**_

"Tell us everything you know," Kota said softly, yet sternly, "We are not your slaves, nor your subjects, but we do not claim to be your superiors. We can help each other. You know this, so stop acting like a god, because you aren't one."

For several long seconds, the Leviathan simply bobbed up and down in the water. Then, with a low thrum and mighty splash, two more Leviathans rose up from the deep, floating behind the first. All three of them spoke as one.

_**What do you wish to know?**_

…

**First, I wanted to put that little page break in there because the last line was in bold.**

**Second, you might be asking if I'm crazy, considering what I did with Leviathan. To be honest, I was disappointed by that DLC, since they didn't really do anything. I wanted them to be incredibly advanced, but at the same time, arrogant as all hell. Just because you're giant and are billions of years old does not make you a god. If anything, it makes you an arrogant jackass. As for making them Force-Sensitive and being responsible for Humans in another galaxy… well, why not? It seemed cool. Also, this does not mean that Humans from other games/movies/whatever will make appearances. Don't get any ideas.**

**Now, on to what's been happening in the Star Wars galaxy. The Yuuzhan Vong war did happen in the Expanded Universe books (though Disney, in their infinite wisdom, declared them all to be non-canon) though I didn't go into a massive amount of detail, because if I did, this chapter would be about 50,000 words. I will be keeping true to that storyline, but everything that happened after the book 'The Unifying Force', will not have happened in this story. Jacen Solo didn't turn to the Dark Side, and all that depressing crap didn't happen. For me, the Expanded Universe ended with 'The Unifying Force'. If you want to know more about the Yuuzhan Vong War, go read the series. It's great.**

**Sorry, end rant.**

**Yes, this means that Star Wars reinforcements will be arriving at some point. However, don't expect them to show up for a long time. Despite all that they've achieved, there's still politics and bureaucracy to deal with. **

**Also, having the Salarians join the upcoming coalition might seem sudden, but think about this: the Salarians make their moves based on events that happened in the past. They don't know how to react to the Reapers because they don't have anything to base it on. When they find out about the Yuuzhan Vong war, however, they see a definite parallel. If the factions of Star Wars won by banding together, then it stands to reason that the same thing would work for them.**

**Now, I have an announcement. For those of you who have visited my profile, you may have seen that I have a Starcraft/Mass Effect story planned. I want you to know that I am working on that story now, and should have the first chapter up by next week! I don't want to spoil anything, but think about this: Shepard isn't a Council Spectre, but a Terran Specter. **

**Also, I'm thinking of doing a series of Mass Effect crossovers, but none of them are connected to each other. A similar thing is being done by Rapidfyrez, who has a ton of Transformers Prime crossovers, but aren't connected either.**

**Next chapter: The Outcast Blades join Shepard's team to find a Turian, but not quite the one they were looking for.**

**Shepard is a Muffin. Do we really want someone like that representing Humanity?**

**It's the only choice we have.**


	8. Mayhem on Menae

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, WHICH I PAY THEM FOR, THOUGH THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THEIR WAGES ARE GARNISHED… HEE-HEE.**

**Okay, now that the exposition is out of the way, let's get back to the action! It's time to introduce one of the best characters in Mass Effect, plus there's going to be lots of explosions and evil monsters getting shot and/or stabbed. Hooray!**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 8

Mayhem on Menae

**The **_**Normandy**_

Commander Shepard sat in his quarters, mulling over what had happened over the last day. On the one hand, the beginning of a unified coalition was forming, and the power of Battlegroup Maverick would turn the tide of just about any space-battle, while the Outcast Blades would definitely help on the ground. Plus, Shepard had been officially reinstated as a Spectre, and now had access to all the personal resources for himself and his team that they could want.

He'd also gotten some old friends to join the ship's crew again: his chief medical officer, Dr. Karen Chakwas, as well as two ex-Cerberus engineers that he'd worked with to stop the Collectors, Ken Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels. He'd also had an actual shuttle pilot, Steve Cortez, a nice guy who'd lost his husband to the Reapers recently.

On the other hand, his ground-team was now short by one member—Ashley had chosen to stay behind as part of Udina's security detail, as well as provide as much information as she could on both Reaper and Cerberus forces.

"It's not that I don't want to help you, Skipper," Ashley had said, when Shepard asked her to join his official team, "It's that… I'm still not sure if I can trust you yet. If I can't trust you, then I might be a liability, and someone could get killed."

As much as the declaration stung, Shepard could see her point. A squad needed to trust each other, and Ashley couldn't do that if she was suspicious that Shepard was secretly in league with Cerberus. That left Shepard, James and Liara as the ground-team—Shepard would have to see about filling out his ranks if he could, but at the moment, he'd have to rely on the Outcast Blades for support.

Shepard was glad that no one else was in his quarters, because his ensuing snort was very unlike him. If anything, he and his team would be the Blades' support, especially if even half the reports that Admiral M'zan had sent to him were true.

The Blades were dangerous, and in many ways reminded Shepard of some of the more… unhinged… members of his last team, like Jack, Grunt, Mordin and Zaeed. They were misfits among misfits, and Ryan had taken them all and turned them into one of the tightest, most efficient units that Shepard had ever seen. On top of that, they had technology that would make even STG salivate. Shepard was just glad that they were on his side.

"_Hey, Commander," _Joker's voice said over the intercom, _"The _Desperate Measures _just pulled up alongside us; they're ready to head to Palaven."_

"Understood, Joker," Shepard replied, "Tell Liara and James to have their equipment ready. I want us to be in the shuttle before we even reach the planet."

"_Aye, Commander, I'll spread the word."_

With nothing else to do, Shepard left his quarters and headed to where his armor and weapons were stored. While on the Citadel, he'd bought quite a few guns that weren't standard-issue; while some of them were weapons he didn't use, he bought them anyway, in case someone else needed them. For himself, he had purchased an M-76 Revenant LMG and an M-300 Claymore shotgun, as well as stronger armor to boost his tech and biotic powers. Though it made him nauseas to admit it, the one thing that he was grateful to Cerberus for was the upgrades to his body. Without them, the Krogan shotgun would shatter his arms with a single shot.

Laying his weapons down on the table, Shepard brought up a list of upgrades he'd also purchased on the Citadel and sat down for a lot of modifications.

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

Unlike their allies, the Outcast Blades didn't take the Mass Relay to Palaven, relying instead on their hyperdrive. The Turian home system was close enough that both the _Normandy _and the _Desperate Measures _would arrive at the same time, and the Blades were preparing for heavy combat. Weapons and armor were cleaned and prepped, supplies were rationed out and everything was double-checked with a level of professionalism that would have made any Special Forces unit proud. Still, that left almost two hours with nothing for them to do.

While Wek, Bitters and Sera went off to do their own thing—the latter went to repaint her armor after her fight with Eva Core—Ryan and Tanith went to Ryan's quarters. As Ryan had promised when they had reunited, there was a small dinner, but with a mission coming up, they skipped over the wine. Then they decided to skip over the music too and went right to the sex.

At the end, both of them were panting as they lay next to each other on the bed. Tanith snuggled into Ryan's side.

"Okay," she said, a content smile on her face, "I forgive you."

Ryan kissed her forehead. "Aw, but I had more to apologize for."

Tanith pushed herself up enough to look down into Ryan's face. "Well… maybe after this mission you can give me the rest of your 'apology'. I'm willing to listen."

Ryan leaned up to kiss her again, this time on the lips. "As if I needed another reason why I love you."

Tanith settled back down next to him and closed her eyes contentedly. "Could you wake me up when we're close to Palaven?"

Ryan snuck an arm under her and drew her in close, then whispered, "Sure."

…

As promised, Ryan woke Tanith up when they were less than an hour away from their destination. Aside from a quick kiss, they were no longer a loving couple, but two teammates getting ready for battle. In a few minutes, they were armored and armed; Tanith took the _Desperate_'s controls, while Ryan met up with Wek, Bitters and Sera near the ship's ramp.

"You guys ready?" he asked, then put on his helmet.

"Yes, sir," Wek answered for all of them.

Ryan noticed that Wek seemed particularly energetic. "Hoping for some action, Wek?"

"Didn't get any last mission, Commander," Wek said, even as he tried to reign in his enthusiasm.

Bitters laughed. "Kid, I don't think you've ever gotten _any _action."

Wek made a choking noise, while Ryan joined in Bitters' laughter. Sera patted Wek's shoulder sympathetically, but the sight only made the two Humans laugh harder.

Tanith's voice coming through the ship's intercom, however, sobered them up. _"Commander, we've just dropped out of hyperspace near the Mass Relay, and the _Normandy _just arrived. You guys need to get up here and see this."_

Sharing concerned looks behind their helmets, the four Blades hurried to the cockpit and beheld a slaughter. There must have been hundreds of large Turian vessels stationed around Palaven, outnumbering the Reapers attacking them almost two to one, but for every destroyed Reaper, there were a score of broken Turian ships. According the sensors, the number of destroyed Turian fighters numbered in the thousands.

"Fierfek," Ryan said softly, "The Turians are supposed to be the strong arm of this galaxy, but now, it's like they're not even there."

"How many people do you think…?" Tanith trailed off, but the other Blades followed her gaze towards a large red spot on the surface of Palaven that, according to their sensors, used to be a series of cities.

The Reapers had reduced it to cinders.

"Too many," Ryan said, gently patting the Mirialan on the shoulder; in their armor, it was the closest thing they came to a comforting embrace. "Get ready to follow the _Normandy _to the moon; we'll cover their shuttle's descent."

Tanith nodded; the _Normandy _had sophisticated stealth-systems—by this galaxy's standards, anyway—and would be invisible to the Reapers. The _Desperate Measures_, having no stealth abilities to speak of, nor a shuttle, would fly alongside the _Normandy_'s shuttle and then land, where the ship would be locked up until they returned.

As soon as the two ships were close enough to the moon of Menae, a blue shuttle left the _Normandy_'s bay, with the Blades' ship right behind it. After they entered the atmosphere, the Blades received a transmission from Commander Shepard.

"_Ryan, I need a favor," _Shepard said without preamble, _"Our landing zone is swarming with Husks. Do you think your ship can clear 'em out?"_

Ryan grinned. "Using big guns to blow up enemies that can't fight back? Why do we always get the hard jobs?"

Taking that as a yes, Shepard cut the transmission, while Ryan turned to Tanith. "You haven't had a shot at the Reapers yet. Want to man the belly turret? I'll land the ship."

Tanith smiled, then put on her helmet and left her seat, which was quickly filled by Ryan. A few seconds later, they all felt the familiar vibration as the _Desperate_'s oversized guns opened fire. Outside the viewport, the Blades could see dozens of Husks exploding into pieces, along with chunks of the terrain.

"Is she using the high-powered setting?" Bitters asked.

Sera looked at a nearby readout. "Yes, she is."

"But she's shooting at infantry," Bitters said, "She doesn't need the more powerful shots."

"Do you really want to spoil her fun?" Ryan asked, not looking away from the destruction his fiancé was unleashing.

Bitters considered it for a moment. "Nah. Besides, how often do we get to use the high-powered setting on infantry?"

"Exactly," Wek said, then slipped on his mask and visor, "Now be quiet and enjoy the show."

The landing zone was swept clean after a few more seconds, and the two vessels landed. Shepard's team looked around at the annihilated Husks and newly-formed craters, and the Spectre among them gave a low whistle, impressed.

"I thought you were getting rid of the hostiles," he said as the Blades walked out of their ship, "I didn't think you were into landscaping too."

"No, Blade Two just wanted to start her first fight with the Reapers with a bang," Ryan said, then gestured to Tanith, who was now cradling her scattergun in her arms. "This is Tanith Tsor, Blade Two and the team's engineer."

Shepard greeted her with a nod, which was returned, then activated his Tech Armor and pulled his Revenant off of his back. "Come on, we've got a Turian Primarch to find."

As the eight of them moved out, Ryan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the new weapons carried by Shepard's team. Before the attack on Earth, Ryan had studied the various weapons available in this galaxy, both to learn what he might go up against, and because he was enthusiastic about weapons in general.

Shepard and James were both armed with Revenants, though the big Marine had an M-22 Eviscerator shotgun, which was slightly less powerful than Shepard's Claymore, but James wouldn't have been able to use the Commander's weapon without breaking his arms.

Liara was no longer wearing her technician's outfit; instead, she was wearing a formfitting suit of white armor with blue highlights. She had a pistol holstered on her hip, and held an M-12 Locust submachine gun—a compact, high-accuracy weapon—in her hands.

"Did some shopping, Shepard?" Ryan asked.

Shepard nodded. "They might not shoot energy, but they're a helluva lot better than what we were using on Mars. Besides, between my status as a hero, Spectre privileges and the war with the Reapers, I got these and a whole lot more for a steal."

"Funny," Wek said, even though his eyes didn't stray from the path they were following, "Blade Lead actually _did _steal all this stuff."

"The previous owners wanted to kill me," Ryan said quickly, before anyone on Shepard's team could comment.

It wouldn't have been necessary, however, because a moment later, a pack of Husks jumped at them from their position on a ledge above them. The team quickly reacted, killing most with a combination of biotics and gunfire, but a few managed to close the distance.

"Shit!" James swore, sawing two Husks in half with a burst from his Revenant, "I hate these things!"

"Why?" Bitters asked as he stomped another Husk's head into paste, "Because they're twisted mockeries of what they used to be, because they're trying to kill us, or because they're ugly as hell?"

"All of the above!" James shouted, then used the butt of his weapon to knock the last Husk away from him. It stumbled towards Tanith, who calmly blew a fist-sized hole through its torso.

With that skirmish out of the way, the team forged on, eventually making their way to a fortified Turian outpost. After helping to clear out a few more Husks that had scaled the cliffs to their side, the Turians manning the walls waved them inside.

"If you're looking for Command," one soldier said, "It's around the corner, past the first barricade."

"Must be just as bad on the ground as it is in space," Ryan said.

"What do you mean?" Liara asked.

"You don't have multiple layers of defense for a skirmish," was Ryan's answer.

As they traveled through the outpost, they could see just how badly the fighting was affecting the Turian soldiers. Nearly all of them had damaged armor, and there were more sporting injuries than not. On one side of the outpost, a long line of tarps were draped over dead soldiers, though with the level of destruction that the Reapers unleashed, it was amazing that they were able to recover _any _bodies.

Finally, they arrived at the command center, where a Turian in black-and-red armor was barking orders at several others, who then scrambled to carry them out. The lead Turian took a moment to look up from a holographic map of the area and glanced at the eight non-Turians.

"Commander Shepard," he said tiredly, "I'd heard that you were coming, but I didn't believe it. I'm General Corinthus."

Shepard nodded. "I've come to get Primarch Fedorian."

Corinthus stopped moving for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave the moon."

"That's… going to complicate things," Shepard said.

"That's an understatement," Ryan growled, "Isn't the Primarch supposed to head the War Summit? If he's gone, all the coalition has is the Alliance, the Salarians and Maverick."

Corinthus looked over at the Blades and their unusual gear. "And you are…?"

"Commander Ryan Nimbus," the Human said, "Leader of the Outcast Blades."

"Ah, the mercenaries I've heard about," Corinthus said, "You and those crazy ships are from another galaxy, if the rumors are to be believed. Whether it's true or not, I don't care; I'll take any help I can get."

Considering the martial pride in most Turians, Shepard was shocked by the General's words. "Just how bad is it?"

Corinthus looked down at the map again. "We just lost four hundred men in half an hour." The team winced as the Turian continued. "We set up camps on this moon as an advanced position, to flank the enemy. It was a sound strategy, just…"

"Irrelevant," Shepard supplied, when the General trailed off.

"Exactly. The sheer force of the Reapers seems to make them immune to that sort of tactic. The Primarch and his men found that out the hard way."

"I'm sorry. I heard he was a good man," Shepard said, "But what happens now?"

Now it was Liara who gave an answer. "The Turian Hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession."

Corinthus shrugged. "With such heavy casualties, it's hard to be certain who the next Primarch is. Palaven Command would know, but at the moment, contacting them is impossible." He gestured to the map, which showed an ever-increasing amount of red dots, indicating Reaper forces. "Our comm-tower is out, and Husks are swarming that area, preventing us from repairing it."

Shepard looked over at Ryan. "Think Blade Three can work his magic again?"

Ryan and Wek glanced at each other before the former answered. "I don't doubt it."

Shepard nodded. "Then let's go. We're not leaving this moon without a Primarch."

"One moment," Corinthus said, halting the team, "I hate to ask this, but we've got more wounded here than not. We can hold this position, but…"

Ryan immediately turned to the other Blades. "Blade Four, see to the wounded. Try to get as many of them on their feet as you can." Without a word, Bitters headed for the field hospital, easily located due to the loud moans of pain. "Blade Five, man the walls here—try to give the Turians some breathing-room."

"Understood, Commander," Sera said, then headed to where the sound of fighting was most intense.

"Thank you," Corinthus said, "I know that it's not easy to split your forces like this."

"Just make sure that Blade Five isn't holding that position by herself and tell the medics to stay out of Blade Four's way, and I won't have any problems," Ryan replied. He knew his team like they were extensions of himself, and often sent one or two of them off on individual tasks, so this was nothing new.

"Great, now let's get moving," Shepard said, pulling out his Revenant, activating his Tech Armor and leading the six of them to the coordinates that Corinthus had sent to their Omni-tools.

It wasn't long after they left the compound that they encountered a handful of wounded Turians, one of which was finishing off a Husk with a burst from his rifle.

"You heading to the tower?" he asked; when he got nods from them, he warned, "There are a lot of Husks around there. Be careful."

"Everyone keeps saying that there are a lot of Husks," Ryan said offhandedly, "I think that there's a possibility of a lot of Husks where we're going."

"Really?" Tanith asked sarcastically, "From all the warnings, I'd have never guessed."

"Do you guys always act like nothing's wrong?" James asked Wek.

The Nautolan shrugged. "It's either that or run away, screaming our heads off."

"Contact!" Shepard called out, then opened fire with his Revenant and gunned down a trio of Husks.

Ryan added his own fire from his carbine and his pistol, taking out four more Reaper soldiers, then kicking another that got too close, finishing it off with a boot to the head. The rest of the team engaged with one or two Husks of their own, taking them down easily, but Shepard noticed one that was different than the others, with red, glowing circuitry instead of the normal blue. Memories from a year ago flashed in Shepard's mind, and he immediately reacted.

"Blade Three, kill the red one!"

Without hesitation, Wek shifted his sniper rifle to the target and fired. To everyone's surprise, save for Shepard, the red Husk exploded, staggering all of them and killing a pair of Husks that had been close by.

"What the hell was that!?" Ryan demanded.

"Abomination," Shepard said tersely, "They run in close and then explode. They're good for wiping out their own guys if you kill 'em right."

Ryan glanced at the three-meter scorch-mark that used to be the Abomination. "Right, red ones go boom. Like these things weren't creepy enough."

"Let's just get to the tower," Shepard said, moving again, "The sooner we fix it, the sooner we can get out of the open."

The base of the tower was heavily guarded by nearly twenty Husks and half as many Cannibals. When Ryan saw that, he regretted having Sera stay at the camp, but there was nothing to do about that now. They had to act fast.

"James, we're gonna lay down fire on the Husks," Shepard said, "Liara, you hit any who get close with a Singularity; we'll pick them off later."

"Blade Three, you and I pick off the Cannibals," Ryan said, "Blade Two, you stay with Liara and watch her back while she does her biotic thing."

The improvised plan in place, Shepard and James opened fire, scything through half the Husks in a mere handful of seconds, while Ryan and Wek took out the Cannibals with precise headshots. The few Husks that remained were quickly lifted into the air by Liara's biotics, where she and Tanith killed them with shots from their pistols.

Once the tower was secured, the team took defensive positions around it, save for Wek, who immediately climbed up the ladder to fix the damage.

"Okay, I've got good news and bad news," he reported a moment later, "The good news is that I _can _fix it, but the bad news is that it's going to take a few minutes."

"Wait, why is that bad news?" James asked, "That's not too long."

"Yeah, but there's a whole bunch of stuff coming down from the sky."

Everyone looked up, just as dozens of objects slammed into the ground. Said objects turned out to be Husks, dropped off by several Reaper creatures that looked like a cross between a serpent, an insect and a dragon.

"Take them out!" Ryan shouted, "Don't let them reach the tower!"

For a few frantic minutes, the battle became a blur. The Husks had landed close enough that the team was only able to kill a few of them with their longer-ranged weapons, and then it got up-close and personal. James had switched to his shotgun and went back-to-back with Tanith, and the two of them were blowing away a pair of Husks at a time. Liara hung back, picking off Husks that tried to flank them with her SMG. Ryan had dropped his blasters in favor of his sword and dagger, while Shepard had activated his Omni-blades, and the two of them had become dervishes of death, never stopping, leaving dismembered Husks in their wake.

Finally, mere seconds after the last Husk fell, Wek called them over the comms, as the battle had moved out beyond shouting range.

"_Okay, the tower is working again, and General Corinthus is receiving signals from Palaven Command. It looks like the other Turian forces on this moon are getting organized as well—we may have just bought them some more time."_

"Great job, Three," Ryan said, even as he moved to retrieve his blasters, "Now get down here so that we can head back."

"_Copy that, Blade Lead, I—wait a second." _The entire team tensed at Wek's words. _"I see something about half a klick from here. Looks like a small team of Turians are trying to get back to Corinthus' position, but they're pinned down by Reaper forces. I don't have a visual on the attackers, but if those Turians leave cover, they'll be slaughtered."_

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Blade Three, see if you can give that team some support. Once the hostiles are down, guide those Turians back to camp."

"_Understood, Blade Lead. See you later."_

Wek slid down the tower's ladder, then used a cable from his belt to rappel down the cliff.

"Will he be all right?" Shepard asked.

Ryan idly twirled his blaster pistol before holstering it. "If there's one person that can do something without getting spotted, it's him. Come on, we have to find out who we _now _have to get off this moon."

…

Wek was the lightest of the Blades, and not just because he was the smallest male member. His armor was lightened by losing the shoulder-plates, and he'd fashioned a mask for himself because the normal helmet didn't fit him; his sniper rifle was extremely light as well. All of this meant that he was able to cross the distance between himself and the trapped Turians rather quickly.

Still, by the time he arrived, there were only two Turians left alive, and one of them was bleeding out on the ground. The only one still fighting was a female Turian, something Wek had never seen before. She was similar in appearance to her male counterparts, but smaller and more slender, along with smoother plates on her face.

This particular female was wearing slim, interlocking plates of black armor, though the collar, shoulders and kneepads were a light green, which matched the fluid in the tubes that attached to her armored elbows. On her helmetless face were three stripes of light green paint, one going vertically down the center of her forehead and ending right above the bridge of her nose, while the other two started under her eyes and ending under her chin, making her look like she was crying green paint.

To her credit, the Turian didn't shoot Wek when she saw him slide behind a nearby boulder; she probably realized that he wasn't covered in Reaper-tech, and therefore probably wasn't about to kill her. That didn't mean she had to be polite, however.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, even as bullets whizzed overhead.

"Wek Vass, Outcast Blades," Wek introduced himself, "I'm here to help you out. Is your friend going to make it?"

The female crouched and checked the vitals of the wounded male, then shook her head. "Shrapnel hit nearly every organ. He's gone."

"Fierfek," Wek swore quietly, then rallied. "Still, I'm going to get you out of here."

The Turian snorted. "How? You might not have noticed, but the second we step out of cover, we're dead."

Wek smiled behind his mask. "Don't worry about that. Can you tell me how many of them there are?"

"Yeah, there're six, maybe seven," the Turian replied, "There were about three times as many, but I don't think the Reapers were expecting a Turian biotic to be mixing with the regular troops."

Turians were somewhat untrusting of biotics, seeing their abilities as unsettling at best, downright dishonorable at worst. However, biotics were too useful in combat to ignore, so in order to placate the naysayers and get an effective military unit, Turian biotics were placed in their own units, called Cabals.

Wek's smile grew even bigger; he'd seen biotics in combat, and how useful they were. "What's your specialty?"

The Turian's mandibles flared, her species' equivalent to a smile, then raised her forearms; two wickedly-curved blades popped out from the sides of each of her gauntlets.

"I can use my biotics to get in close, and use these. I don't even need to kill them outright; the poison finishes them off quick enough. I also have poison darts, but I ran out of those an hour ago."

Wek nodded, a plan beginning to form. "Listen, if I can get them to take cover, will that give you time to rush them?"

She nodded, but looked uncertain. "Sure, but how are you going to do that? You stand up, they'll cut you down."

_Not if they don't see me, _Wek thought, but out loud, he said, "Leave that to me. As soon as you hear my shot, start moving; I'll cover you, try to thin out their numbers." He reached for his stealth-generator, but paused. "What's your name?"

The Turian blinked. "Arterius. Corporal Soleis Arterius. And no, I'm not related to that bastard Saren."

With one more nod, Wek tapped his stealth-generator, and almost laughed at Soleis' face when he disappeared. Still crouched low to avoid getting hit by the Reapers on accident, he made his way over to Soleis' cover, then inched himself over the boulder, looked down his scope, and fired. The Cannibal's head exploded like a ripe melon.

"Go!" Wek shouted, even as his cloak—and his target—fell, and then fired again, killing another Cannibal.

Soleis' finely-honed discipline kicked in, so rather than gawk at the energy-weapon, she drew upon the nodes of eezo in her body, surrounded herself in dark energy and launched herself forward, passing through the boulder in front of her and landing right in front of the remaining Reaper troops.

"Surprise!" she shouted, slashing her claws across the faces of two Cannibals, then spinning on her heel to kick another, which was then killed by Wek. As she completed her spin, she drew her Carnifex hand cannon and shot the last one through the eye. She turned to give Wek a little smirk, though inside, she was grateful. While she was good—her instructors had called her one of the best in her generation—she knew that killing all of those troops without suffering an injury would have been next to impossible.

Not that she'd had the chance to until now; her CO had had an even bigger stick up his ass than most Turians, and had relegated her to rescuing wounded troops as they withdrew. Ironically, the only person Soleis had been unable to save—everyone else in her unit had died from blood-loss, not because of her—was her CO, who had died less than five minutes after giving her those orders.

"Nice work," Wek said, as Soleis returned, "I thought most people didn't go for close-quarters-combat?"

"Sentinels and Vanguards tend to," Soleis said, "Cabals are kind of like Vanguards, except that we have poisoned attacks instead of raw, biotic power."

She didn't admit it, but Soleis kind of liked having someone ask about her abilities, at least when the questions weren't about if she was going to flay people alive with her mind. She didn't even _have _that ability!

"So, mind telling me who _you _are?" she asked, "I mean, who has handheld energy-weapons? And for that matter, _what _are you? You're not any species I've ever seen."

Wek was about to answer, but his comm pinged. Shrugging in an apologetic way, he answered the call.

"This is Blade Three, go ahead."

"_Blade Three, what's your status?" _Ryan asked.

Wek glanced over at Soleis. "One survivor from that squad, the rest are KIA."

"_Dammit," _Ryan swore, _"Okay, we've got a brief window right now, so Shepard is sending his shuttle to pick you two up. The pilot's name is Cortez, by the way."_

"Understood, Blade Lead," Wek said, loud enough for Soleis to clearly hear him, "We'll wait here for pickup. Blade Three, out."

"We're getting a ride?" Soleis asked, but before Wek answered, she gestured to her fallen squad. "Can we take their bodies back with us? I'd like them to receive proper burials."

Wek nodded, somber. "Sure. I'll make sure the shuttle stays long enough."

Soleis let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. In all the madness that had been going on for the last few days, it was nice to see someone still caring about the fallen. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to stay sane in this war, but having that small piece of normalcy had her taking one step back from the brink.

"By the way," she said, leaning against the same boulder she'd been using for cover, "Thanks for the save."

"Uh, no problem," Wek said, looking at his feet.

Soleis raised an eye-ridge; was he actually embarrassed? She tried not to laugh, but couldn't quite contain it; spirits above, it was too funny!

Wek looked up at her—not very surprising, since Turians were all taller than most Humans, and Wek was shorter than Ryan—and scowled.

"What's so funny?"

Soleis shook her head. "Nothing, just the adrenalin slowing down. Hey, is that your shuttle?"

Wek looked in the direction that she was pointing. "No, that's Commander Shepard's shuttle, but it's our ride."

Soleis' eyes went wide. "Commander Shepard? Oh, spirits, please tell me that he's not on that shuttle!"

For a moment, Wek was confused by the Turian's fear, then he remembered that Shepard's first mission as a Spectre had been to hunt down the renegade Spectre, Saren _Arterius_.

"Um, first, I'm pretty sure that Shepard isn't on that shuttle. Second, I doubt he'd hold a grudge against you—he doesn't seem the type. Third, you said that you aren't related to Saren. If he asks, just say it again."

Soleis sighed in relief. "Sorry. Getting killed by the galaxy's biggest hero isn't how I wanted to celebrate getting out of this mess."

As the shuttle landed, a man with short hair and a well-trimmed beard stepped out. "I heard you guys might need an extra pair of hands?"

Wek looked at the man, then at the six dead Turians around them. "Yeah, that'd be great."

The three of them quickly but respectfully placed the bodies in the rear of the shuttle; it was only after Wek and Soleis were secure and the shuttle took off that the pilot spoke again.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Lieutenant Steve Cortez."

"Wek Vass, but it's Blade Three on the field."

"Corporal Soleis Arterius, and no, I'm not related to Saren."

To his credit, Cortez didn't even bat an eye. "Kinda figured you weren't, since you don't seem to be a homicidal egomaniac. Don't worry about flak, by the way—we've got about two minutes until the Reapers own the skies again, but I'll have us at the Turian outpost in one."

When the shuttle landed in the rear of the base, Wek and Soleis could see that heavy fighting had recently taken place in the interior. Small craters from explosives and bullet-holes in the walls of bunkers were still smoking. Wek spotted the Outcast Blades, including Bitters and Sera, gathered together, along with Shepard's team, and jogged over to them; Soleis followed, mostly because she didn't know where else to go.

When Ryan saw his returning teammate, he clapped the Nautolan on the shoulder. "Glad to see you're okay. Any problems?"

"No, but I should be asking you that." Wek gestured to the signs of combat. "What did I miss?"

"One of those Reaper transports—" Ryan began, but was cut off.

"Harvesters," Shepard said, "They're called Harvesters, and they're from Tuchanka. I don't know how, but the Reapers must have got hold of some and are now using them as troop-transports."

Ryan blinked twice, then turned back to Wek. "Right… anyway, one of those Harvesters dropped off a bunch of Husks, Cannibals and Reaperfied Turians. What did you call them, Shepard?"

"Marauders."

"Right, Marauders. They acted like squad leaders, and could somehow give the other Reaper troops a layer of armor. Didn't do too well against blasters, but it did give them _some _protection. When we're done here, we're going to have to spread word to kill those ones first. Anyway, who's your friend?"

Soleis stepped forward and saluted, though to whom, no one knew. "Corporal Soleis Arterius." When Shepard raised an eyebrow, she quickly said, "I'm not related to Saren, sir."

Shepard shrugged. "You're not trying to kill me, and you're fighting the Reapers. At this point, you could be called Manson and I wouldn't care."

Aside from James, no one got that reference, but they understood the meaning. It was with no small amount of relief that Soleis nodded.

"Now that we're all here," Ryan said, "We need to talk to Corinthus."

They moved to the command center, but with so many of them, only Ryan, Shepard, Liara and Soleis actually entered. General Corinthus looked up and nodded at them.

"Thank you for your efforts. Commander Nimbus, I want to personally thank you for sending one of your men to rescue some of mine."

"You can thank me later, General," Ryan said, "What about the Primarch?"

Corinthus sighed. "As your Asari friend said, succession is usually simple. But right now, the Hierarchy's in chaos—so many dead or MIA."

"I need _someone_," Shepard said, "I don't care who, as long as they can get us the Turian resources we need."

"I'm on it, Shepard," a new voice from behind them said, "We'll find you the Primarch."

All eyes in the room turned to see a Turian stride in, wearing silver armor with blue highlights, a blue, holographic visor over his left eye and a sniper rifle resting in his talons like it belonged there. The right side of his face was heavily scarred, and a line of blue paint crossed his face. Ryan didn't know who this Turian was, but everyone else did—Soleis and Corinthus both saluted, while huge grins were plastered on Shepard and Liara.

"Garrus!" Shepard cried out.

"Vakarian, sir," Corinthus said, still trying to compose himself, "I didn't see you arrive—"

Garrus smiled tiredly. "At ease, General."

Shepard practically sprinted up to one of his closest friends. "Good to see you again, but what are you doing here? I thought you'd be on Palaven."

Garrus shrugged. "If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing to an expert on Reapers, so I'm… advising."

"Um, not to be rude," Ryan said, "but could someone tell me who this is?"

"Ryan, this is Garrus Vakarian," Shepard said, "He helped me stop Saren and the Collectors. He's a hell of a soldier."

"Nice to meet you," Garrus said, then looked over at Liara. "Good to see you too, Liara."

"I'm glad you're safe, Garrus," the Asari replied.

Ryan barely had time to shake Garrus' hand before the Turian turned back to Shepard. "General Corinthus filled me in—we know who we're after."

Corinthus activated his Omni-tool. "Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus."

"A soldier, not a politician," Ryan said, mainly to himself, "Sounds like a good choice right now."

"Victus?" Liara asked, "His name's crossed my desk."

"Do you know him, Garrus?" Shepard asked.

Garrus nodded. "I was fighting alongside him this morning. He's lifelong military, gets results, popular with his troops. No so popular with military command—has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy."

Before Ryan could comment that once a strategy became accepted as normal, it then became predictable, Shepard spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

Liara answered. "On Taetrus, during the uprisings, his squad discovered a Salarian spy ring about the same time the Turian separatists did. Rather than neutralize the ring, he fell back. He even gave up valuable fortifications, which the rebels took."

Garrus took the reins again. "Then the rebels attacked the Salarians. And when both groups had worn each other down, Victus moved back in. Didn't lose a single man."

"Bold strategy," Corinthus commented, "But wild behavior doesn't get you advanced up the meritocracy."

Ryan disagreed. Personally, he thought Victus was just the kind of officer that he would have wanted to serve under. He was clever, he cared for his troops, and he preferred to have his enemies destroy each other to the point that minimal work was necessary on his part.

"Can he get the job done?" Shepard asked.

Garrus nodded. "We both know that conventional strategy won't beat the Reapers. Right now, he could be our best shot… and I trust him."

Shepard nodded, satisfied. "Okay. Let's get him on the shuttle and get out of here."

Just as they were about to move out, Shepard received a comm from Joker. _"Commander! Shepard, come in!"_

"Can this wait, Joker?" Shepard asked, "We're in the middle of a war zone!"

"_We've got a situation on the _Normandy_, Commander. It's like she's possessed—shutting down systems, powering up weapons. I can't find the source."_

"I need the _Normandy _standing ready," Shepard said, "We may need to bug out quick."

"Should I go back and take a look?" Liara asked.

For a moment, Shepard considered asking Ryan to send Wek, but Liara knew the _Normandy_'s systems better. Besides, this battlefield had more open areas, with no bottlenecks, making it next to impossible for Liara's biotics to be effective, while the flat terrain was perfect for a sniper like Wek.

"Sure," Shepard said. Liara raced off; just as Shepard, Ryan and Garrus were about to rejoin the team, they heard a cough behind them.

"Um, excuse me, General?" Soleis said, "What are my orders?"

Corinthus looked at the Cabal and tilted his head. "Truth be told, Corporal, we don't have any units close enough to reach on foot that need your… talents."

Soleis was too disciplined to sigh in disappointment, but everyone could see it in her eyes. Before anyone could say anything else, Ryan made a snap decision.

"She could come with us." All eyes turned to him. "What? She's a fighter, and you don't have anywhere else for her to go. If she goes with us, she'll be useful."

Corinthus thought about it for a few seconds. He still didn't trust biotics, and would appreciate a chance to get them out of his fringe, plus the process of getting her to another squad had too much risk for the reward.

"Very well. Corporal Arterius, I'm assigning you to Commander Nimbus' command indefinitely. Represent the Hierarchy with pride." That last comment had another meaning beneath it: don't tell anyone any classified information.

Soleis looked at Ryan with wide eyes then, when the Human nodded, she saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Now that that's out of the way," Shepard said, turning to Garrus, "You said you were with Victus this morning?"

"Sure, but we got separated," Garrus said, "He went to reinforce a flank that was breaking. He could be anywhere."

"I'll try to raise him, Commander," Corinthus said, moving to a nearby terminal.

"You coming, Garrus?" Shepard asked his friend.

Garrus rested his sniper rifle on his shoulder. "Of course, Shepard. It'll be just like old times."

While Shepard introduced Garrus to James, Ryan brought Soleis over to the Blades.

"Everyone, this is Soleis Arterius—no relation to the evil Spectre. She'll be working with us for… well, the foreseeable future." Ryan regarded the Turian with a small smile underneath his helmet. "On the field, she'll be known as… Blade Six."

From the reactions of the others, being given that title meant quite a lot, though Soleis had no idea why. Still, she was determined to make a good impression with her new unit.

"It's an honor to serve with you all," she said, saluting, "I can assure you that I'll give a hundred and ten percent."

The Blades—the _other _Blades—stared at her for a long moment, then burst out laughing. Well, four of them laughed, while Sera seemed to radiate amusement. Either way, Soleis was left feeling very confused.

Wek took it upon himself to explain. "You don't have to salute. We're not a military unit, we're mercenaries."

"Paid volunteers!" Ryan protested, and was summarily ignored.

Soleis was torn between breaking down in tears and laughing hysterically. General Corinthus, a proud Turian soldier, had just assigned her to a pack of dishonorable mercs? Apparently her unease could be seen on her face, because Wek reached up and laid a hand on her arm.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "We're not so bad. Well, okay, Blade Four is a psychopath, but he's on our side."

Uncertainly, Soleis nodded, but before she could say anything, Shepard walked up to them.

"You guys ready?" the Spectre asked.

Ryan nodded. "Just introducing ourselves to our new teammate."

"Great. Come on, we've got a Primarch to find." With that, Shepard drew his Revenant and started moving.

"Blades, move out!" Ryan barked, and the six of them jogged after Shepard.

…

For a few minutes of travel, the only sign of combat was the sound of far-off explosions and the distant form of a Reaper striding across the surface of the moon. Shepard, Garrus and James talked about how the Batarians had been nearly wiped out mere days after the Reapers arrived, and it was doubtful that the Krogan would join the coalition, seeing as how the Salarians, who had designed a sterility-plague against them, were part of it, and the Turians, who had deployed said plague, were on the list to join.

The Blades, on the other hand, were introducing themselves to their newest member, as well as explaining their roles on the team. Soleis gave a quick summary of her skills and abilities, leaving Ryan quiet for a few moments, his mind racing with tactical possibilities.

"I see two roles for you," he said, "First, as a secondary close-quarters specialist: when Blade Four or I get in close, you hit the same enemies on their flank or rear."

Soleis nodded. It wasn't a normal tactic for her, but then again, she didn't usually work with other soldiers who focused on hand-to-hand fighting. "What's the second role?"

"You hit first, disorient or poison them, then do that teleporting thing and get out of the way for someone else to finish the job. Never stop moving, try not to get on the defensive. We'll see about getting you a better gun when we get back to our ship."

Soleis' eyes lit up. "You mean I can have one of those energy-weapons?"

"Sure," Ryan said, "Probably a couple of pistols, like Bitters."

While Soleis looked happy about that, Ryan noticed that Tanith was trying to establish a private comm-channel.

"Something wrong?" Ryan asked her.

"Nothing's wrong," Tanith said, "I'm just a little confused. Why did you suddenly take Soleis onto the team?"

"Two reasons," Ryan answered, "First, because she's like us—an outcast, and she doesn't fit in with the other Turians."

Tanith had seen the looks of distrust that some of the Turian soldiers had sent Soleis' way as they left the base, and the Blades' newest member explained that Turians didn't trust biotics very much.

"Okay, that makes sense," Tanith admitted, "But we've met other people like that before, and you've never put them on the team. What's the second reason?"

"That would be Wek," Ryan said. "I mean, just look at him."

Tanith glanced over at the Nautolan in question; he was keeping an eye out for surprises from the Reapers, but his gaze kept drifting to Soleis. Tanith blinked, unsure if she was interpreting things correctly.

"Is he…?"

"Oh yeah," Ryan said, grinning underneath his helmet, "He's head over heels for her. He just doesn't know it yet."

"You invited her so that Wek might get a girlfriend?"

"What? No, of course not! I invited her to the team because she'd be a welcome addition; Wek getting a girlfriend is just a bonus."

Before Tanith could respond to that, Garrus' voice got their attention.

"Damn it… look at Palaven. See that blaze of orange, the big one? That's where I was born."

"You still got family there?" James asked.

"My dad and my sister."

"That's rough," James said.

"Wait a minute," Soleis looked from the burning part of the planet above them, then back at Garrus. "What part of the district did you live in?"

"Just outside the military district," Garrus answered, not showing the same distrust towards her like the other Turians had. If he felt the same way, he was keeping it hidden.

Soleis blinked, surprised. "Wow. I grew up only two blocks from that district. We could have grown up together."

"Small galaxy," Garrus said, "Do you have family down there?"

Soleis shook her head. "My father died during an attack on a pirate base ten years ago, and my mom was kidnapped by Batarian slavers when I was a year old. I found out that she died a month later."

Garrus bowed his head briefly. "My condolences."

"It's an old wound," Soleis said dismissively, "Save the grief for those who lost families to the Reapers."

"How bad is it on the planet?" Shepard cut in.

Garrus sighed. "Three million lost the first day. Five million on the second."

"And your military?"

Garrus laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Look around, that should give you an idea."

As if to prove his point, a Sovereign-class Reaper fired its main weapon, shearing a Frigate in half.

"Have there been any estimates about the Reapers' total numbers?" Ryan asked, putting aside for a moment that almost a hundred people had just died before his eyes.

"Reports came in from the STG about an hour before we arrived," Shepard said, "At the minimum, there are about half a million Reapers. At the most… there could be millions, maybe even billions."

That brought all of them up short. Billions? There was no way in hell that they could fight that many on a conventional scale, even if every ship was armed with energy-weapons. That cemented it; the only hope they had was that the Crucible was all that it was cracked up to be.

"Let's… just get the Primarch," Ryan said, trying very hard to push down the rush of fear and hopelessness.

"If only they'd listened to your warnings, Shepard," Garrus said, a hint of anger in his voice, "We might have been ready."

James snorted. "How the hell do you get ready for _this_?"

"With a lot of time, effort, money and really, _really _big guns," Shepard said, "Unfortunately, we didn't have any of that."

As the nine of them traveled through a narrow road built into a cliff, they were ambushed by a swarm of Husks that were using their clawed hands to climb up the sheer rocks.

"Well, at least we can get rid of _these_ bastards," Ryan snarled, drawing his _beskad_, "Take 'em out!"

At such close range, Sera and Wek's primary weapons were useless, so the latter switched to his dagger and pistol, while the former settled for using her cannon like a club, smashing Husks to the ground. Shepard and James had switched to their shotguns and were blowing apart two or three Husks with every shot. Garrus settled for close-range fire with his own assault rifle, accompanied by the occasional stock-strike or kick. Tanith's scattergun was fired at the Husks' head-height, and her charged shots not only blew her targets' heads off, but also the upper halves of their torsos. Ryan and Bitters lopped off limbs and heads with their swords, then assisted the others with bursts from their flamethrowers.

Ryan was about to move to assist Wek, who was about to be mobbed by a dozen Husks, but a purple blur dashed past him, _through _Garrus and landed right behind the Husks, revealing itself to be Soleis. The Cabal swung her arms out, like she was going to catch the monsters in a hug, but then she extended her claws. The scything blades caught five of them in the neck, decapitating them. The rest turned to face her, but just as they charged, she turned into a purple blur and moved behind them again. She repeated her earlier attack, reducing their numbers by a further four. She did the same process of teleporting, then attacking one more time, at which point, the Husks were all dead. It was with a satisfied look in her eye that she turned to regard Wek.

"I think we're even now," she said.

Instead of answering, Wek aimed his blaster pistol at her head. "Down!"

Soleis hit the dirt, and Wek fired, catching a Husk that had managed to get around her, about to pounce. Wek holstered his blaster and sheathed his dagger, then held out a hand to help Soleis to her feet.

"And now you're back to owing me one," Wek said smugly. Soleis scowled, but there was no real bitterness behind it.

"Just you wait," she said, "I'll have a higher kill-count than you by the end of this war."

"You're on," Wek said, drawing his sniper rifle.

Ryan looked at the other three Blades. "I think she'll get along just fine."

As they moved on, James wiped a smear of Husk blood off of his arm. "Ugh, I hate those creepy things. And they're in New York? I never should have left Earth."

"You'll get your chance to pay these bastards back," Shepard assured him, "We just need to get some backup."

"I know, Commander," James said, "It's just that leaving the fight pisses me off!"

"But you're going to ask Victus to do the same thing," Garrus reminded him.

"What about you guys?" Soleis asked the Blades—the _other _Blades, she reminded herself; she was one of them now. "Do you have friends or family waiting on Earth?"

That was when Ryan realized the one mistake he'd made. Other than Wek, Soleis didn't know that any of them were unusual in this galaxy, mainly because they weren't from it. From the look he was receiving from Shepard, the Spectre was thinking the same thing.

"We'll tell you the whole story once we're back on our ship," Ryan said, "For now, let's focus on getting Victus off this rock."

Soleis wanted to press, but practicality and her own ingrained discipline held firm. She'd wait until they were off Menae, and if no one told her, _then _she'd ask again.

"Understood, Blade Lead," she said instead.

Wek briefly reached up—he had to stretch—to pat her armored shoulder. "Good, you're learning."

Soleis batted his hand away, but like before, there was no real malice there.

The increasingly-loud sound of combat brought the good mood to a halt, and they could see another outpost, not as large as Corinthus' but still formidable, under attack.

"Come on, let's move!" Shepard broke into a full sprint, the others right behind him.

When they arrived, all hell had broken loose. A large group of Husks, Cannibals and Marauders had punched through the defenses and were running amok in the camp. The Turians had to split their fire between the Reaper forces in the camp and the ones still outside, but not enough fire was being diverted to either side.

"Focus on the ones outside the wall!" Ryan shouted at the Turians, setting his helmet's speakers to their maximum volume, "We've got these guys!"

For the nine of them, it was a shooting-gallery. Those with fully-automatic weapons mowed down Husks on the flat surface, while everyone else worked on eliminating the Cannibals and Marauders. It took a few minutes, but they worked their way back to the breach in the defenses, where Tanith moved to help a few other combat engineers to plug the hole in the wall.

The only ones who hadn't moved to the main area of the battle were Bitters and Soleis. The medic had gone to help a few wounded Turians, while the Cabal had chased down the last of the Marauders. After Soleis finished pulling her claws out her target's skull, she noticed a medium-sized crate by its corpse, marked with the symbol of the Cabals. Seeing as how she was the only Cabal in the camp, she opened the crate where, to her delight, there was a fresh supply of toxic darts. She'd run out of them hours ago and felt like a part of her was missing without them.

"Need a resupply, soldier?" one Turian asked her.

She nodded. "Not going to be as useful to my new unit without them."

The other Turian waved at the crate dismissively. "Take the whole lot with you when you go, then. It's not like we have anyone else who can use them, and that crate's just taking up space."

Soleis' mandible flared. "Thanks."

"Just kill a few Reapers with 'em, and we'll call it even."

After fitting as many darts as she could into her gauntlets, she pointed out the crate to Bitters, who promised to take them back to the ship. She then hurried to rejoin the others, who had gathered at the wall. Just when it looked like they were going to catch a break, a lucky shot from a Cannibal caught a Turian manning a turret through the head, sending his corpse to fall to the ground.

"I'll man the turret!" Shepard shouted, climbing up the ladder.

"Blade Five, you, me and Blade Three will go with him," Ryan said, following the Spectre, "James, Garrus, see if you can reach the flanks. Blade Two, keep working on plugging that hole; Blade Six, watch her back."

The team then went to work. Shepard made short work of any Husks in his sights, but the turret he was using had to be manually cooled down. Thankfully, everyone else covered for him and each other, creating a continuous field of fire, killing Husks by the score. Just as the torrent of Reaper-tainted bodies ended, however, something new was dropped off by a Harvester. It was huge, easily three meters tall, with a mutated Turian head on a bloated Krogan body. Plates of armor seemed to be welded onto random sections of its body, and its right arm ended in a pincer.

"Holy hell, what is that thing?" James asked, even as he put in a new thermal clip into his Revenant.

The monster charged, and everyone opened fire on it. Despite the incredible amount of punishment it took, the creature still rammed its shoulder into the wall. The impact spun the turret around, accidentally flinging Shepard to the ground.

"Blade Three, Blade Five, stay on the wall," Ryan ordered, then jumped down to the floor, "James, Garrus, Shepard needs our help!"

To his credit, Shepard was fearlessly shooting at the giant Husk, only moving out of the way when it was about to smash him with its pincer-arm. The monster's focus was diverted when Ryan opened fire with his carbine, while James and Garrus hit its flanks with their respective weapons.

Ryan reached for his comms just as the monster began to charge him. "Blade Five, high-powered shots… now!"

A trio of bright bolts slammed into the creature's shoulder, spinning it around three hundred and sixty degrees.

"Blade Three, anti-armor setting—aim for the back of the knee."

A beam of energy lanced through the monster's leg, driving it to one knee, but still it tried to move towards Shepard.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Ryan groused, then drew his sword and ran, his body held low to the ground. He kicked off of a boulder and into the air, his sword held up in two hands; he brought the blade down executioner-style, severing the monster's head from its body.

As he nonchalantly sheathed his sword, he looked over at Shepard, who was poking the dead creature with an Omni-blade.

"So, Shepard, I suppose you know the value of bracing for impact now?"

Shepard rolled his eyes. "That won't happen again. The Brute just took me by surprise."

"The what?"

Shepard pointed at the corpse, which was now starting to disintegrate. "Brute. That's what I'm calling it."

Ryan looked over at Garrus. "Does he always do the naming thing?"

Garrus nodded. "Ever since we started fighting the Collectors. If it didn't have a name, he'd give them one."

Ryan sighed. "Whatever. Let's just find Victus."

It took a minute for someone to get a ladder for the four of them, but none of them had time to rest. As soon as they were back inside the camp, a Harvester flew overhead, dropping off dozens of Husks, along with not one, but _three _Brutes!

"Oh, come on!" Ryan shouted, "Can't we get a kriffing break!?"

"Blade Lead!" Bitters shouted over the comms, "I'm pinned down over here! I need support!"

Ryan didn't hesitate. "Blade Five, focus on the Husks. Blade Three, target the Brutes, anti-armor shots to the head. Blade Two, you're with me—we'll hit them with thermal lances. Blade Six, cover the flanks!"

With that, he and Tanith charged, while Sera and Wek opened fire. It took three shots from the anti-armor mode of Wek's rifle to drop just one Brute, and by then, Sera had eliminated a good third of the Husks, while the rest were quickly taken down by Shepard, James and Garrus.

The second Brute smashed aside an unlucky Turian as it charged towards Ryan and Tanith, but it staggered when the two of them fired their entire complement of mini-rockets, before closing in to use their thermal lances. The concentrated, combusting chemicals punched holes through its body, eventually bringing it down.

Ryan looked around. "Okay, where's the third one?"

As if in answer, the remaining Brute smashed through a small building, but it wasn't attacking. Instead, it was trying to throw off someone that had clambered onto its back. It wasn't until that someone plunged a pair of claws into the Brute's neck that Ryan recognized Soleis. With a feral cry, the Cabal drove her claws into the Reaper monster, each envenomed strike doing more and more damage as the increasing amount of poison worked its way through its system. Finally, the Brute fell to its knees, its struggling feeble and sluggish; just before it collapsed, Soleis kicked off, actually doing a midair back-flip before she landed.

Ryan gave a low whistle. "Well, I'm impressed."

"Me, too," Wek said, having made his way over to watch the impressive display.

Tanith gently elbowed him. "You're drooling."

Wek's hand went to his face, only to smack into his mask. He then glared at Tanith. "Ha-ha, very funny."

"I try."

"Come on," Ryan said, gesturing to Shepard, "Let's go see where the Primarch is."

Shepard was busy speaking to a Turian wearing black armor with red highlights, but nodded to Ryan when he and the Blades showed up.

"General Victus, this is Commander Nimbus and the Outcast Blades," Shepard said.

Soleis' eyes went wide, then she tried to duck behind Bitters. The Turian that had given her the crate of darts and the new Primarch were one and the same, and she hadn't even shown him the proper respect! Victus seemed to notice her reaction, because mandibles briefly flared in amusement, before he shook Ryan's hand.

"Commanders," he said in a deep voice, "I heard that you were coming. General Corinthus called a few minutes before you got here. I can't wait to find out why you want to see me." then he looked at Garrus. "Vakarian, where did you go?"

Garrus shrugged. "Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank. I believe your exact words were 'get that thing the hell off my men'."

"Appreciate it," Victus said, nodding.

Shepard brought the attention back to the main focus. "General, you're needed off-planet. I've come to get you."

Victus' eyes narrowed. "It will take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my Turian brothers and sisters, in their fight."

"We've got that covered," Ryan said, crossing his arms over his chest, "The Primarch is dead. You're his replacement."

"You're needed immediately to chair a summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers," Shepard added.

Victus was silent for a moment, then strode past them to look up at the burning Palaven.

"I'm Primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the Turian Hierarchy?" he whispered.

"Yes," Shepard said simply.

Victus turned to regard the two teams, his eyes almost pleading. "I've spent my whole life in the military. I'm not a diplomat… I _hate _diplomats."

"What makes you think you're not qualified?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not really a 'by the book' kind of guy," Victus freely admitted, "And I piss people off."

"Sounds like he and Admiral M'zan will get along just fine," Bitters whispered to Sera, who nodded.

Victus continued. "My family's been military since the Unification War. War is my life. It's in my bones. But that kind of passion is… deceptive. Can make you seem reckless when you're anything but."

"And that's exactly what we need," Ryan said, "We're in the middle of a war to save all life in this galaxy. We don't need some pandering bureaucrat, we need a soldier."

"War is your resume," Shepard added, "Right now, we need leaders who've been through that hell."

Victus nodded. "I like that. You're right."

"Besides," Ryan said, a hint of amusement in his tone, "You seem like the kind of guy who likes a challenge. Fighting Reapers is easy. Getting the different species of the galaxy to work together? That's gonna be hard."

Victus smiled. "Now you've almost got me looking forward to the job."

Shepard waved his hand beyond the compound, to the wreckage of several crashed Turian ships. "See this devastation, Primarch? Double that for Earth. The galaxy needs this coalition, and _I _need the Turian fleet."

Victus' smile faded. "Give me a moment to say goodbye to my men."

Shepard nodded. While Victus left, Garrus walked up to him. "Without him down here, there's a good chance that we lose this moon."

"Without him up there, there's a good chance we lose everything," Shepard retorted.

Garrus sighed, knowing that Shepard was right. Then he pointed to a Reaper in the distance. "Look at that! And they want _my _opinion on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante… and _I'm _their expert advisor?

"Do you think we can win this thing?"

Shepard shrugged. "I don't know, Garrus, but we're sure as hell going to give it our best shot."

"Well, it's not like anyone's asking us to kill Reapers by hand," Ryan said, "We'll find a way to win, if only because we're all too stubborn to die."

Garrus gave a tired laugh, then held out his hand to Shepard. "Well, for whatever it's worth, I'm with you."

Shepard shook his friends hand without hesitation. "Welcome aboard."

Ryan turned to his own team, where they were chatting with their newest member. "Now, as for you, Blade Six…"

Soleis stood ramrod-straight, and all of them saw her hand twitch—she was visibly struggling not to salute.

"Yes, sir?"

"First of all, don't call me sir," Ryan said, "Second of all… great work out there today, especially with the Brute. You've passed your trial by fire.

"Welcome to the Outcast Blades."

**There you go, everyone, the newest member of the Outcast Blades, Soleis Arterius, makes her debut! I hope you liked her, because she's here to stay. I will probably add one more member at some point, though I'm still working on the who, what and when. However, if you were expecting Soleis to get the same kind of armor as the other Blades, it's not going to happen. She'll get a blaster or two, but Ryan only had five suits of **_**beskar**_**, and none of them were built with Turian physiology in mind. However, I chose for her to be a Cabal because they are so freaking cool. I got a very Wolverine/Nightcrawler feeling about that class.**

**Next chapter: Reuniting with some more friends, and the Illusive Man being a dick.**

**I don't think the Empire had Muffins in mind when they designed her, Chewie.**


	9. Enemies Within and Without

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, AND SINCE I PAY THEM ENOUGH TO LIKE ME, THEY WON'T BE LEAVING. RIGHT, GUYS? UH… GUYS? HOLD ON A SEC, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.**

**Okay, the first thing I want to say is that all of you who reviewed my last chapter are fantastic. You made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and that made me want to write more. Thanks for the boost to my self-esteem.**

**On another note, those of you who wanted more ME-crossovers, I have news: I **_**am **_**working on them. Granted, they're only outlines at the moment, but when I'm not working on this story, or dealing with real life, I'm putting energy into my other ideas. At the moment, I've got a Starcraft crossover and a Warhammer 40K crossover planned. Both of them will be fairly… well, dark, so think on that for a bit. Also, if you have a suggestion for a crossover with Mass Effect, send it my way via PM. I'll consider it, as long as it isn't a superhero crossover. I don't want to write one of those.**

**Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Here's a chapter with some friends in it, along with politicians that you want to stab with a fork.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 9

Enemies Within and Without

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

"And you insert the power-pack here," Ryan demonstrated to Soleis, using one of her two blaster pistols, "and you're good to go. I've modified these over the years, by the way; you'll get fifty shots before having to swap packs, twenty-five if you use the high-powered setting. Use those only for emergencies."

"Got it, Commander," Soleis said, wrapping her talons around the grip of the blaster, which had needed to be rebuilt to account for her Turian hands. "Anything else I need?"

"Well, Wek is busy making your stealth-generator. Don't worry about it integrating with your armor's systems, it runs on a separate power-source." Ryan thought for a moment. "Let's see, we've got your quarters squared away, your guns, what else… oh, I know! I'll be right back!"

With that, Ryan dashed off, leaving Soleis by herself for the first time since before the war with the Reapers began. After Shepard's team had taken Primarch Victus to the _Normandy_, the Blades had taken their newest member to their own ship. They had given her a brief tour, then assigned her quarters; as it turned out, her room had been originally set aside for Bitters, but the medic spent all of his time in the med-bay. He hadn't actually entered his assigned room in over two years, so he had no problems giving it up.

Once they were safely in hyperspace—a method of travel that had initially terrified Soleis—the team explained their story to the Turian. A week ago, she would have dismissed their tale as the ravings of lunatics, but with the Reapers being proven real, she was willing to believe anything. She was a little uncomfortable with Sera, since she was technically an AI, but the droid had sworn on her—not 'it', which Soleis was having a harder and harder time saying—life that she would never betray the Blades. They were her family, and that now included Soleis. Once that had been established, all save Ryan had left to go to their post-battle duties, leaving the Blades' CO to handle Soleis' armament.

Even after only a short time, Soleis could see just how close the Outcast Blades were with each other, and that was one of the few things that she could immediately relate to. Turian Cabals were equally tight-knit, and if her original unit hadn't been wiped out on Menae, she'd never even consider joining another team.

The thought of her original unit, killed during the first hours of the Reapers' invasion, brought her up short. The last few days had been so chaotic that she'd barely had time to even register their deaths. She'd been juggled from one squad to another, either because she was the lone survivor or because the other Turians just didn't want her near them.

Only her iron discipline kept her from breaking down right there. In her mind's eye, she could see the faces of her squad-mates, laughing one moment, then being ripped apart by Husks the next.

Despite the clamp she had on her emotions, a sob managed to escape her, but that was all, because the feeling of a hand on her shoulder brought her out of that dark place. She spun around to see Ryan, his organic eye tinged with worry.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Soleis took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm… I'm fine. Just got lost in some bad memories."

Ryan nodded in understanding. "I've got a feeling that this war is going to give us all a few more of those. You don't have to go through this alone, though; that's the whole point of being on a team. If you want to talk to anyone, just ask, and we'll listen; we might not have a solution, but every one of us will give you a shoulder to cry on."

Soleis smiled and nodded, then noticed that Ryan had something behind his back. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Ryan smirked and revealed a _beskar _dagger, complete with scabbard. He flipped the sheathed weapon in his hand, presenting it to Soleis, grip-first.

"Every one of us has a dagger just like this one," Ryan said, "It's kind of a signature thing, and unlike the armor, we've got a few spares."

Soleis took the dagger and slowly pulled it out, marveling at its balance and keen edge before putting sheathing it again.

"You know that I have my claws, right?" she would never have taken this sort of tone with an officer in the Hierarchy, but the Blades had insisted that she speak freely when they weren't in combat.

Ryan only shrugged. "I can count on one hand the number of times Wek or Sera have used their knives. Think of it as a backup; besides, you never know when you might need a knife."

Thinking that it couldn't hurt, Soleis took the dagger with her to her quarters—after saying good-night to Ryan—and set it next to her armor and weapons, then laid down on the bed. She yawned, the effect of not sleeping for almost four days now catching up to her.

_Free weapons, new tech and people who don't immediately think that I'll betray them, _she thought as she drifted off to sleep, _There could be worse things to be than a 'paid volunteer'._

…

"How's she doing?" Ryan turned to face Tanith, who had spoken as she entered his room. The engineer's face, torso and arms were covered with streaks of mechanical fluids from working on one of the _Desperate_'s landing struts, though the grime did nothing to hide her beauty.

Ryan sighed and leaned back in the chair in his quarters. "She's taking it pretty well, though I'm not sure how much of that is just all of this not settling in yet."

Tanith nodded, then took off her gloves, which she threw into the sonic cleaner; a few minutes of that would purge all stains from the clothes. Tanith then reached out with a clean hand rested it on Ryan's knee.

"You did the right thing," she said, "Before she joined up with us, she seemed kind of… lost."

Ryan nodded, his eyes starting to close; after a mission, and post-mission activities, he often went to sleep for a few hours. Tanith smiled and lightly flicked his ear, turning him towards her.

"Get some sleep," she said softly, "I'll take a shower and be back here in bit, okay?"

"M'kay," Ryan said tiredly, then shuffled over to his bed and collapsed onto it.

Tanith watched Ryan sleep for a moment, then gently kissed him before heading to the showers. Ryan wasn't the only one who was tired, and Tanith was looking forward to a few hours of sleep in her favorite place: at Ryan's side.

…

**The Citadel, 6 Hours Later**

Shepard and his team had landed at the Citadel an hour ago, and Shepard was feeling unusually optimistic so far. Typically, every visit to the massive station resulted in him wanting to put a bullet in his skull, usually because of something annoying that the Council did. Today, however, was very different.

Less than twenty minutes after arriving, and seeing off the Outcast Blades, who went to do their own thing, Shepard had found that Cerberus was blackmailing a Volus ambassador. On top of that, someone had found out what said Volus was doing and had sent a pack of mercenaries after him. One of those mercs happened to be Zaeed Massani, a grizzled veteran who had helped Shepard against the Collectors; he was a damn good soldier, a dab hand with explosives and a sniper to boot.

Thankfully, Shepard didn't end up fighting his old teammate and friend; in fact, he'd managed to not only talk Zaeed into killing the other mercs, but the Volus had also warned a Turian colony of an impending Cerberus attack, and then pledged the Volus Bombing Fleet to the coalition.

"Not a bad day," Shepard said to himself as he and Zaeed watched a team of C-Sec officers carry away the mercs' corpses.

"Says you," Zaeed said in his rough, British accent, "I was gonna get paid big money for that goddamn Volus."

"What if I make it up to you?" Shepard offered; the tilt in Zaeed's head said that the old man was listening. "I'm sure that I can talk Udina into paying you, both as an apology and if you join my team."

Zaeed lightly punched Shepard on the shoulder. "Come on, Shepard, d'you really think I'm that much of a bastard? After all the shit we went through with the Collectors, I'd sign up with you for free… though I'll still take the money."

Shepard grinned. "Fantastic. The _Normandy _is docked at the usual spot. Cortez can give you some guns; how does a Revenant and a Black Widow sound to you?"

For a brief second, Shepard could've sworn that there was a tear in the old man's working eye. "Where the hell did you get those kinds of goddamn weapons?"

"Two words," Shepard said, then leaned in close, like he was sharing a secret, "Spectre privileges."

"Lucky bastard," Zaeed said, unable to hide his grin as he left, "I'll see you on the ship, Shepard."

"If you see Garrus on the way," Shepard called after him, "Tell him that the Phaeston rifle he wanted is being delivered."

A brief wave told him that the message had been heard and would be delivered.

Just as Shepard was starting to think that today was going to be a good one, his Omni-tool beeped, giving him the time and place to pick up the Overlord of the Krogan and one of the Salarian Dalatrasses. Shepard sighed, knowing that it wasn't going to be fun once they did so.

Despite Victus' desire to join the coalition, he couldn't give more than token assistance while Palaven was being attacked. They needed serious muscle on the ground, and the only species who could fill that requirement was the Krogan. Shepard's team would have to act as security for all three parties, so that the Krogan delegate wouldn't kill the other two.

Shepard shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. The meeting wasn't for two weeks, so they had time to do a quick mission or two; Admiral Hackett had said something about Grissom Academy going silent, maybe the Outcast Blades would be willing to help out.

…

"Did you get everything you needed?" Ryan asked, briefly feeling like he was talking to two children.

Wek and Soleis nodded happily.

"I got the dextro food that I needed," Soleis said, gesturing to the hovering trolley behind her, which was laden with food that could only be eaten by her; if anyone else had some, they'd become violently ill.

"And I got the extra medical supplies that Bitters wanted," Wek said, "I also got some stuff that looked good."

"Just tell me that we didn't bankrupt Shepard," Ryan said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Since arriving in this galaxy, no one from Maverick had the same kind of credits that people in this galaxy did, so the Blades were dependent on the kindness of Shepard, at least until the Blades could get some capital of their own.

"Don't worry," Soleis assured him, "It was all under five thousand credits."

"Okay, get it on the ship, then you can go do whatever."

Wek and Soleis grinned at each other, then hurried to move their supplies. They didn't know how long they'd have some free time, and they didn't want to waste a second of it. Once they were gone, Ryan activated his Omni-tool.

"Tanith, you there?"

"_Yes, I'm here," _Tanith replied a moment later, but there was something in her voice that made Ryan suspicious.

"Okay, let me rephrase the question," he said slowly, "Are you on the Citadel?"

"_Um… sort of?"_

"What does that mean?"

"_I'm on a ship that's docked with the Citadel, does that count?"_

"Which ship?"

"_Um… the big one."_

Ryan looked out the nearest window, and spotted a very large, cross-shaped ship that was docked with the station.

"Tanith…" Ryan said slowly, "That's the _Destiny Ascension_. She's the flagship of the Citadel Fleet. I don't think they'll appreciate you messing with their engines."

"_I'm only making it better!" _Tanith objected, _"Besides, they can't see me; I'm using my stealth-generator."_

"Tanith, this is why you're not allowed to be alone on someone else's ship," Ryan said sternly, "If they catch you, there's going to be an incident, and M'zan will hear about it, and then she'll yell at me."

Tanith huffed. _"Fine, I'm coming back."_

"Wait a second," Ryan said, "Did you put everything back the way you found it?"

There was a pause. _"I might be a bit late coming back."_

Ryan resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead. Tanith's urge to take apart ships had been curbed over the years, but only because Ryan was always finding something on the _Desperate _that needed to be worked on. Tanith usually didn't have time to disassemble other ships, but after giving the Blades free reign for now, he shouldn't have been surprised that something like this would happen.

A beep on his Omni-tool nearly made him jump; at first, he thought that it was Tanith, but the device told him that Shepard was calling.

"Something going on, Shepard?" he asked.

"_Bad news, Ryan," _Shepard said, _"I've got word that Cerberus may be attacking a school. I just got an addition to my squad, but I'd like some backup."_

Ryan didn't hesitate. "Send me the coordinates, we'll be there ASAP."

"_Thanks, Ryan. See you soon."_

As soon as Shepard hung up, Ryan activated his squad-wide frequency. "All Blades, report to the _Desperate_; something's come up, and Shepard needs our help."

There were a few groans over the comms, but none of them were serious. If Shepard needed help, it must have been an important mission. They'd be ready on time… even Tanith, though she might have to knock down a few unfortunate Asari who got in her way.

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

"So, why does Shepard think that Cerberus is attacking this academy?" Bitters asked, and the Blades' ship traveled through hyperspace, while the _Normandy _was using the Mass Relay system.

"According to Admiral Hackett," Ryan explained, as he checked the power-packs for his blasters, "Grissom Academy—which is a school for biotics and prodigies—sent out a distress-call when the Reapers came near. A Turian ship replied and told the staff that they were on their way."

"That still doesn't explain how Cerberus is involved," Soleis said, confused.

"I'm getting to that. Shepard remembered that the Illusive Man pulled something similar with the Collectors a year back, so he had EDI do some checking. The Turian signal had no secondary encryption for their communications, something that no Hierarchy vessel would forget."

"But the Illusive Man knew that it would pass the average inspection," Soleis said, understanding dawning in her eyes.

"So what's the plan?" Wek asked.

"Simple," Ryan said, "The second we come out of hyperspace, we're going to land in the hanger, use our guns to clear out any Cerberus ambushers; once that's done, Shepard's shuttle will land, and our two teams will sweep for survivors. Our response will depend on which kind of survivors we find."

"I don't understand," Soleis admitted.

"Well, if we find the students and the staff, we'll move them to a secure location," Ryan explained, "If we find Cerberus… we'll have to put those puppies down."

"That was awful," Tanith said dryly, even as she loaded the last of her mini-rockets into her gauntlet.

Ryan rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he left to grab his coat. Wek, who was adjusting his visor, noticed that Soleis was tapping her thigh-armor nervously.

"Something wrong?" he asked quietly, so as not to attract the other Blades' attention, "You don't seem the type to be nervous before a mission."

"Normally, I'm not," Soleis said, "It's just that this is my first mission with you guys."

"What are you talking about?" Wek asked, "Did you forget about Menae already?"

"No, but I was just along for the ride," Soleis said, "Now, I'm with you from start to finish. I just don't want to mess up your team's synergy."

Wek gently placed a hand on Soleis' armored shoulder; thankfully, she was sitting down, so he didn't have to reach up.

"First of all, it's _your _team now, too; stop thinking that you're an outsider. Second, we've been a five-man team for years, but I think we've gotten a little too used to that; some new blood to shake things up will do us good. Third, I've seen you fight; you'll be fine."

Soleis smiled, then slipped on her helmet, a rounded affair with a single, circular visor that was tinted black.

A beep from Tanith's Omni-tool caught the attention of everyone in the room. The Mirialan tapped at it, then nodded, her expression serious.

"We'll be exiting hyperspace in ten minutes," she said, heading for the cockpit, "Everyone get to the ramp, but hold onto something. Shepard just sent me a warning about Cerberus ships in the area."

"How many?" Ryan asked as he came back.

"Five, but four of them are fighters," Tanith replied, "The fifth one, though, is about the size of the _Normandy_."

The two teams had decided that Shepard's ship would be given a head-start for most missions, their stealth-capabilities would allow them to scout ahead and warn the Blades of anything that was waiting for them.

"Can Shepard's ship take them out?" Wek asked.

"No, it's built for combat, the _Normandy _is made for stealth," Tanith said, "_We_ could take it out, but it would take a while, and Cerberus might send in reinforcements."

"Hmm…" Ryan tapped his chin in thought, "I think I have an idea. I need to make a call, I'll be right back."

"What's he doing?" Soleis asked.

"Knowing him," Bitters said wryly, "Something that'll even the odds."

When Ryan came back a few minutes later, he was tight-lipped about what his call was about, only saying that it would hopefully guarantee their exit would be safe.

The rest of the flight was carried out in tense silence, the Blades waiting at their turrets, save for Soleis. Since she didn't have a turret to man, she waited in the cockpit as Tanith guided the _Desperate Measures _in, Shepard's shuttle right behind them.

Sure enough, there was a team of Cerberus soldiers waiting for them, but a barrage of high-powered blaster-fire took them out fairly easily. The two ships landed, and eleven people piled out into Grissom Academy.

"What is it with you guys and blowing up the people waiting for us?" James asked jokingly, even as he swept his Revenant around for targets.

"It's fun," Wek said nonchalantly, until he noticed one of the two new members of Shepard's team. "Um, what the kriffing hell is _that_ doing here!?"

The Blades turned to see a familiar silver-skinned droid standing with Shepard's team, an SMG in its hands. The Eva Core mech had been cleaned and repaired, and was now clothed in a tight-fitting, black bodysuit.

"Oh, right," Shepard said ruefully, "I forgot to tell you guys. After the mission on Menae, we found out that the _Normandy _was having problems because EDI was putting part of herself into the mech. EDI is in control and wanted to come with us."

"Greetings," EDI said, her voice less synthesized than when the Blades had heard her on the _Normandy_. "I hope that this body doesn't cause undue stress."

"Um… I guess not," Ryan said, moving his carbine away from its not-quite-aimed-at-her position, "As long as you don't try to kill us again."

"The AI that resided in this platform has been deleted," EDI stated, "I am in control, and want to assist you."

"Now both teams have a robot lady member," James commented, gesturing first to EDI, then at Sera.

"What, were you jealous or something?" Tanith asked, though her tone suggested that she was kidding.

"And I'm Zaeed Massani," a grizzled, older man wearing yellow-and-black armor said, resting a very large sniper rifle on his shoulder, "Don't mind me."

"Apologies, Mister Massani," Sera said, "We were distracted by the sight of the droid who tried to kill us not long ago."

"No worries," Zaeed said, then quite obviously looked EDI up and down, "I got distracted when I first saw her too."

"Joke later," Shepard said in a no-nonsense tone as he pulled out his shotgun, "We've got students to save and Cerberus to slay."

"You just wanted to use alliteration," Garrus accused jokingly, idly checking the seals of his new armor, a brown-and-tan camouflage affair that had several large grenades clamped to the shoulders.

"Maybe," Shepard admitted, his helmet concealing his smirk as he and Ryan led the way.

"I assume Shepard told you about us?" Wek asked Zaeed, who nodded.

"Yeah, he did. I really shoulda found it harder to believe, but with all the shit I've seen since joining up with Shepard, it's not that hard to swallow."

"Contact!" Ryan yelled, halting all conversation, as a dozen Cerberus troops rounded a corner and raised their weapons at them.

Ryan's carbine put a hole through one man's helmet, while Shepard used his Throw power to knock half of the remaining ones down like ninepins. Garrus, Wek and Zaeed used their sniper rifles to kill the prone soldiers, while Sera, EDI and Liara took the rest down with a combination of biotics, tech attacks and blaster-fire.

Zaeed scoffed. "Idiots didn't even get a shot off. I would have used grenades, then moved to cover. These Cerberus pricks don't know anything about soldiering. Why the hell do you even need us, Shepard? You could probably take down every single one of these bastards by yourself."

Shepard kneeled down by one of the corpses and picked up a double handful of thermal clips, then distributed them amongst his teammates.

"If I did that, I wouldn't have time for sleep," he said, "And I wouldn't have anyone to talk to."

"Shepard, are these guys filled with Reaper-tech too?" Ryan asked, gingerly poking one of the bodies with his foot.

Shepard pried one soldier's helmet off, revealing the gray skin and blue circuitry. "I'd say yes."

"Fierfek," Bitters said, scanning the body with his Omni-tool, "Guys, this kind of biomechanical interface shouldn't be feasible."

"What do you mean?" Soleis asked.

Bitters took off his helmet for a moment, exposing his circuitry-lined scalp. "You can see that this was installed externally. This guy, however… it's done on a micro-scale that shouldn't be possible. The Human body would reject that kind of manipulation—at least, it should."

"Is there an alternative that could explain this?" Sera asked.

"Well, I suppose that if enough self-constructing nanotech was introduced, it might work," Bitters mused, "but even with the resources from _our _galaxy, the amount of time and money needed… let's just say that you'd be better off building a small fleet of Star Destroyers."

Shepard shook his head. "I remember that the Illusive Man had access to billions of credits—after all, it took four billion and two years to bring me back to life—but this is like an extreme version, on a whole lot more people. He'd barely get a squad or two done, even if he cut back on some of the extras. He must be getting help from someone."

"Could it be the Reapers?" Soleis suggested, then shrugged when everyone looked at her. "What? He's messing with Reaper-tech; he could be Indoctrinated for all we know."

"You're probably right," Shepard said, "The Reapers might be using Cerberus to divide our resources, diverting our efforts to fighting Cerberus when we should be focusing on the Reapers themselves."

"When this is over," Liara said, "EDI and I can start working on finding out where Cerberus is based. The sooner we get rid of them, the better."

"I can help with that," Wek said, "Sera can, too."

"You get right on that," Ryan said, "As soon as things are done here."

For almost twenty minutes, the mission was fairly quiet, save for when the academy's hacked PA blared some pro-Cerberus nonsense, or the odd handful of Cerberus troops, which were outnumbered and outclassed.

"How many troops are here?" Ryan asked as they stepped through the remains of their latest victims.

"I am accessing the academy's security systems," EDI reported, "However, there is some interference. I can only give a rough estimate."

"A rough idea is better than no idea at all," Garrus said.

EDI nodded. "There are approximately seventy more Cerberus troops on this station."

"Seventy?" Bitters scoffed. "Double that number, and _then _I might be worried."

"I know, right?" James added, "These guys are pathetic. Wouldn't last a week in boot."

"A week?" Ryan sneered, "They wouldn't last two _days _in Imperial Infantry training, and that was just running laps and being taught how to clean your blaster."

"Really?" Tanith asked; Ryan didn't really talk much about his time as a Stormtrooper.

Ryan shrugged. "There might have been some Imperial propaganda being blared every five seconds, but I kinda tuned it out."

Just then, the PA turned on again, delivering more pro-Cerberus propaganda.

"Like that?" Garrus asked dryly.

"Yeah, but less people were trying to shoot me," Ryan said, just as another squad of Cerberus soldiers showed up. "Like right now; take cover!"

This time, the enemy squad managed to pin them down for a few seconds before Sera rose from cover, bullets pinging off her armor as she gunned down two men who were too slow to move out of the way.

"Blade Six!" Ryan barked, "Get behind them and do your thing! The rest of us will cover you!"

Soleis nodded, then channeled her biotics to move behind a pillar in an instant. Shepard's team, along with the rest of the Blades, kept up a constant barrage of fire. The three snipers managed to pick off a further three soldiers before Soleis had finished leapfrogging from cover to cover, eventually making her way behind the remaining Cerberus troops. A few well-placed swipes later, and the fight was over.

"At least these ones actually made us work for it a bit," Tanith commented.

"They made Blade Six work for it," Wek pointed out, "We just sat here."

"He's right," Ryan said, as Soleis made her way back to them, "Nice work, Six."

"Thanks," Soleis said, shrugging off the compliment. It was her job, after all.

"Commander," EDI said, her posture unchanged, but her optics suggested that she wasn't giving the teams her full attention, "I have managed to hack into the Cerberus comms. They mentioned a trio of students near this location; they are under attack."

Shepard nodded. "Ryan, can your team get the students? I'd like to keep pushing forward, and with your weapons, Cerberus won't be as big an issue for you."

"No problem," Ryan said, getting the coordinates from EDI, "Let's move, Blades!"

…

It took a couple of minutes to navigate the winding corridors of the academy, but the Blades found their way. Once they arrived, they found a handful of Cerberus troops trying to break down a kinetic barrier, while simultaneously trying to convince the students huddling behind it to lower it of their own accord.

"We can't risk hitting the students," Ryan said over the comms, "Go dark, silent takedowns."

Nodding, each Blade activated their stealth-generators. For Soleis, it was a novel experience; Wek had handed her the finished device mere minutes before they landed at the academy, but after activating it, she found that getting in close enough to use her claws would be much easier now.

The Cerberus troops had no idea what hit them. One moment, they were firing on that damned kinetic barrier—which refused to break, much to their frustration—and the next, they were getting hacked apart by swords, daggers and claws, while one last soldier was bludgeoned to death with a very large cannon.

As Ryan stepped over the soldier he'd hacked apart, he sheathed his sword and held his hand out in a nonthreatening way towards the students.

"Hey, you guys okay?"

One of the students, a young man with faint scars on his arms and face, simply stared past the Blades. The other two, identical twin teenage girls, were sitting at the man's feet, their arms wrapped around each other. Ryan immediately noticed that one girl had a bandage on her shoulder that was soaked in blood.

"S-stay away!" the injured girl shrieked, "D-don't c-come any c-closer! We're armed, and I'm a biotic!"

"We're not here to hurt you," Ryan said gently, "We came to help you and get rid of Cerberus."

"As you can see, we've done that last part," Bitters said, gesturing to the remains of the soldiers they'd killed.

"Not helping," Wek hissed, elbowing the medic in the side.

"You're just like them, aren't you?" the injured girl accused, "You're Cerberus, you just want us to trust you so that we'll lower the barrier!"

"Sally, shut it!" the girl's sister said, "If they were Cerberus, why would they kill other Cerberus guys?"

Sally blinked at that, then looked up at the silent man. "David, what do you think?"

The man, David, looked down at the girls, then back at the Blades. "Are you monsters, like them?"

Ryan glanced down at the Cerberus corpses, noting that one had had his helmet shattered, exposing his pseudo-Reaper face to the world. Without a word, Ryan took off his helmet, showing them his scarred, but still Human face.

"Don't worry," he assured them, "I'm not like them."

"What about the rest of you?" Sally demanded, still hysterical.

The other Blades removed their helmets, and though the girls were intrigued by the non-Humans among them—David just tilted his head, but didn't look like he was paying attention—they were still less jumpy.

"Okay, I'll take down the barrier," the still-unnamed twin said, then activated her Omni-tool, pressed a few keys, and the device powering the barrier switched off.

"I'm a medic," Bitters said, slowly stepping forward, "I'd like to take a look at your sister, if that's all right?"

The twins looked at each other, until the uninjured one spotted Sally's shoulder. "Dammit, Sally, you said that you'd stopped the bleeding!"

"It's not like I had a lot of time to fix it, Sarah!" Sally shot back, "There were people shooting at us!"

Both twins shut up when Bitters kneeled in front of them and applied his bacta-gel on Sally's shoulder. In a few seconds, she looked better.

"Thank you," she said, getting a nod in return, before Bitters put his helmet back on.

Ryan walked up to David. "Are you all right?"

"Hmm?" David looked like he had just noticed Ryan. "Oh, yes. Cerberus couldn't get us. Even if they did, they wouldn't take me alive. The square root of 906.01 equals 30.1."

The Blades looked at each other uncertainly, then at the twins.

"He's always like that," Sarah said, "It's normal for him."

"All right," Ryan said, then activated his Omni-tool and called Shepard. "Hey, Shepard, good news: we found a few students, and other than one injury—which Blade Four fixed up—they're all fine."

"_Great news," _Shepard said, relieved, _"We just met up with one of the teachers here, Kahlee Sanders, and she'll be sending rendezvous coordinates for all students. If you cleared out all the Cerberus guys in the way, they should have a straight shot for the shuttle."_

"Copy that, Shepard, thanks!" Ryan looked at the three students. "You get the coordinates?"

Sarah looked at her Omni-tool. "We did, but we, well, Sally and I can't leave yet!"

"Right!" Sally's eyes went wide, "Saundra is still missing!"

"We got separated when the shooting started," Sarah said, "You can't miss her. She looks just like us!"

"Not twins, triplets," Tanith said, then rested her hand on Sally's uninjured shoulder. "Don't worry; if we don't find her, our friends will, and she'll come back safe."

"Promise?" Sally said, her eyes watering.

Ryan gave her his best smile and nodded. "I promise."

The sisters glanced at each other, then nodded simultaneously. They stood up and each grabbed one of David's hands.

"Come on, David," Sarah said, "Let's go."

David nodded, then smiled at Ryan. "You were speaking to Commander Shepard. Please tell him that David Archer says 'thank you'."

Ryan nodded, even though he had no idea what Shepard's connection to David was. When he saw the Spectre again, he'd ask.

The Blades swept the area for anything useful, but other than a handful of thermal clips—which were useless to them, but they decided to hold onto them for Shepard's team—there was nothing. They headed back the way they came, then headed in Shepard's direction. As they traced the other team's path, they noticed bodies of the academy's staff, security and, most disturbingly, students.

"Why would Cerberus even attack this place?" Tanith asked, the disgust in her voice evident as she skirted around the blood pooling around the body of a teacher.

"Grissom Academy is where the Alliance's Ascension Program is located," Wek answered, "It's also where Human prodigies go to school. Who knows what Cerberus would do with people like them?"

"I've heard some rumors," Soleis commented, "Supposedly, they rip apart anyone and anything that they don't know about, but some stories say that they do it because most of their scientists are a bunch of sick bastards."

"I believe you," Ryan said darkly, "Honestly, I bet nothing is beneath these kriffing monsters."

The sound of gunfire gave them all a certain amount of anticipation. All the anger towards Cerberus needed an outlet.

The Blades rounded a corner and found Shepard's team pinned down by several squads of white-armored soldiers. For the original Blades, it was a little nostalgic.

Sera and Ryan started things off by scattering a dozen Cerberus soldiers with a hail of blaster-fire and mini-rockets, respectively. Wek then began sniping away, separating men from their heads in quick succession. This gave Tanith, Bitters and Soleis time to rush in, blasting or hacking anyone who got too close.

With half their attackers suddenly occupied or dead, Shepard's team was able to get out of cover. Shepard and James opened fire with their Revenants, the former throwing in the odd biotic attack, while Garrus and Zaeed kept one flank clear with their sniper rifles, the other flank was swept clean of Cerberus with a barrage of biotic and tech attacks from Liara and EDI respectively.

"Thanks for the assist," Shepard said, once the fight was over, "I was just about to call you."

"Lucky we were already on our way," Ryan said, tossing over the thermal clips they'd collected earlier, "Anything we should know about?"

"We've found most of the surviving students," Shepard said, and Ryan suppressed a wince at the word 'surviving', "Sanders sent me a message a few seconds before you got here; she said that the students you saved arrived without any problems."

"Great, I needed some good news today," Ryan said, even as he kept an eye out for Cerberus reinforcements, "By the way, David Archer wanted to say thanks."

"David said that?" Shepard shook his head, smiling behind his helmet. "That's good; the last time I saw him, he wasn't in any shape to talk."

"Who is he?" Sera asked, having overheard the exchange.

"He was used in a Cerberus experiment to control the Geth," Shepard said, his tone darkening at the memory, "His own brother wired him into a machine and turned him into a Human-VI hybrid. We freed David and sent him here."

A loud smack caused all eyes to turn towards James, who had kicked a Cerberus corpse in anger. "Like I needed another reason to hate these bastards!"

"They were shooting at kids," Bitters growled, "If they can do that, they deserve no mercy."

"Who else is left to evacuate?" Ryan asked, getting back on track.

"Just the Ascension students and their teacher," Shepard answered, "They should be just ahead, but we've still got those Cerberus ships outside to worry about."

"Hopefully not for long," Ryan said, "I put in a call to Admiral M'zan. She said she'd have at least part of the battlegroup head our way and escort us to the Citadel."

"I hope it's that big red one," Zaeed said, having seen the Extranet vid, "I'd love to see that thing do some damage to Cerberus."

"Me too," Garrus added, no small amount of relish in his tone.

"Well, the sooner we finish up here, the sooner we might see that happen," Shepard said, "Let's get moving!"

With their combined might, the two teams blew past the next two encounters with Cerberus' troops, leaving nothing but smoking corpses in their wake. For twenty minutes, they swept through the station, occasionally finding a living student, but mostly corpses and Cerberus soon-to-be corpses.

"Say, Shepard," Zaeed said in a conversational tone, even as he blew a soldier's head off with his Black Widow sniper rifle, "Where do I get one of those laser guns?"

"I got you a Revenant and a Black Widow," Shepard exclaimed, having to shout over the sound of gunfire, "Now you want a blaster, too? You're getting greedy, Massani."

"Either that, or you're being cheap, Shepard," Zaeed joked.

As the teams moved into a large, open area, they were witness to a Cerberus soldier getting thrown from the second level above them, landing at their feet in a heap of broken bones. The teams followed the direction he'd come from, their eyes landing on a woman wearing white pants, black boots and a black, leather jacket. Her head, neck, wrists and part of her exposed torso—which was a lot—was covered in tattoos. While she looked young, probably around Ryan's age, her eyes said that she was in no way naïve. Her hair was cut shot, the sides completely shaven, a short ponytail being the longest part. Physically, she was small, almost scrawny, but the corona of biotic power surrounding her gave her an aura of power that everyone found intimidating.

Still, she wasn't unfamiliar, at least, to most of Shepard's team. The Spectre took off his helmet and smiled at the woman.

"Jack!"

The woman, Jack, only blinked in surprise, then jumped off the ledge she stood on, used her biotics to slow her down, then marched up to Shepard. If the man was expecting a hug or even a friendly punch on the arm, he was mistaken.

_Smack!_

Shepard reeled from Jack's punch which, had it been infused with biotics, would have pulped his skull.

"You fucking idiot!" Jack roared, her voice far louder than her tiny frame would suggest, "I _told_ you that Cerberus would screw you over, and they did!"

Shepard, having dealt with the psychotic biotic before and knew of her past as a Cerberus experiment, didn't argue.

"You not saying anything I haven't already told myself, Jack."

Jack looked behind the teams—only raising an eyebrow at the Blades—to see the corpses of Cerberus troops behind them. She nodded approvingly.

"Well, at least you're making 'em pay in blood; maybe I was a good influence on you." Either not noticing or ignoring the shudders from Shepard and Garrus, she nodded at the rest of the Spectre's team. "Good to see you again, Garrus; you too, old man."

"Glad to see you finally grew some hair, Jack," Zaeed said, "Guess I can't call you 'cue-ball' anymore."

"It is good to see you again, Jack," EDI said, before Jack could make a snappy, and expletive-filled, response.

"EDI? Shit, when did you become a robot sex-toy? Joker must be happy." Jack nodded at the Blades. "Who the hell are they?"

Ryan stepped forward, but ready to move if the reformed mass-murderer—though he didn't know that she had that kind of past—decided to attack him.

"Blade Lead, Commander of the Outcast Blades."

Jack shrugged. "Whatever. So long as you get my kids out of here, you can call yourselves the Flying Gophers."

Shepard tilted his head. "You have kids?"

"My students," Jack explained, as a small group of young men and women emerged from hiding. Most were younger than Ryan, and armed with only pistols, though all of them had biotic barriers surrounding them.

"What the hell?" Zaeed said, astonished, "How did you get a job _teaching_? Did the Dean not know you've got a body-count in the quadruple digits, or was he just high?"

Jack lashed out with a booted foot, catching the old merc in the knee. "Shut up. Admiral Anderson pulled a few strings, so did Sanders. Plus, I'm the best damn Human biotic in the galaxy; who else is gonna teach these kids how to rip a man in half at a hundred paces with their minds?"

"I'm sure there are a few," Garrus whispered to the Blades, out of fear that Jack might hear him, "At least ones that aren't liable to snap your neck if you look at them wrong."

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" one of the students said, raising her arm as if she was still in class.

"What is it, Rodriguez?" Jack snapped, though the people who knew her could see that there was no malice in her eyes.

"We overheard a couple of Cerberus guys talking," Rodriguez said, "They were going after a couple of students in the western corridors."

Jack brought up her Omni-tool. "That's not too far from here. We can head 'em off and save the students."

"Too many people," Ryan said, looking around, "There're almost twenty of us. You guys head to the ships and keep the others safe. My team will go after Cerberus."

Shepard nodded; while he knew he and his team were good, the Blades' weapons were so effective that they were rarely bogged down for more than a few seconds. They would be able to get there faster.

"Go ahead," he said, "We'll make our way to the LZ."

The two groups split up. It didn't take long for the Blades to pick up the trail of the Cerberus troops—there were plenty of screams, the owners of which sounded pretty young.

The sound of terrified children was too much; the Blades threw aside caution and stealth, not even slowing down when a pair of Cerberus soldiers, both equipped with shields, got in their way. Ryan, Soleis and Bitters slammed bodily into them, knocking them down, while Tanith, Sera and Wek riddled the fallen troops with blaster bolts as they ran.

The Blades only stopped when they ran into a closed door, the holographic interface glowing red, signifying that it was locked.

"Melt it!" Ryan barked, and he, Tanith and Bitters used their thermal lances to slice apart the door in seconds.

Then, to their horror, there was the sound of gunfire, and the screams stopped. Ryan felt his blood run cold, then ran forward, praying that his fears were unfounded. The Blades rounded the next corner to enter a wide, courtyard-like area and found several squads of Cerberus troops standing over at least a dozen bodies.

Small bodies.

"Kriffing bastards!" Ryan shouted, drawing his carbine and pistol and laying down a withering barrage of fire, which was soon accompanied by Sera's cannon, along with Soleis and Bitters' pistols.

A third of the Cerberus soldiers were taken down before they had time to take cover, and by the time the rest did, Wek had climbed on top of a pile of containers; anyone who got in his crosshairs died.

With Sera suppressing most of their enemies, Soleis and Bitters unsheathed their respective close-combat weapons and charged. Soleis appeared behind a Cerberus engineer who had been trying to set up an automated turret, but a pair of envenomed claws through his skull put a stop to that. Bitters ignored the bullets bouncing off of his armor as he charged headlong into five men; with a feral roar, he swung Ol' Chopper in wide arcs, leaving dismembered chunks of soldiers in his wake.

Tanith spotted a pair soldiers who had managed to work their way towards Sera's flank; acting fast, she fired a mini-rocket. The explosion killed one of them, but the other staggered away, dazed. Unfortunately for him, he stumbled into the path of Tanith's scattergun, the trigger of which she'd held down, charging up the shot. The resulting blast disintegrated the man's torso and head, leaving only four limbs to hit the ground.

Ryan spotted something out of the corner of his eye and, on reflex, hit the ground. It was lucky that he did, because a rocket passed right through where he'd been. With a scowl, Ryan stood, aimed his carbine at the offending rocket-trooper and fired a burst. A moment later, the trooper fell over, a dozen smoking holes in his armor. Just as Ryan was searching for another target, something slammed into his side, knocking him down again. He raised his arms above his head, as the Cerberus soldier on top of him began slamming his fists down. With a grunt, Ryan heaved, throwing the soldier off of him, then swept his leg out, catching the trooper under the chin and knocking his helmeted head into a pillar, knocking him out.

As Ryan got up again, he looked at the unconscious trooper and considered killing him, but thought against it. They'd never captured anyone from Cerberus before, and this one might have useful information.

At the very least, Ryan wanted to know why they'd killed a bunch of children.

"Area clear!" Soleis announced, the last trooper falling at her feet.

"Blade Two, Blade Six, keep an eye on the prisoner," Ryan ordered, gesturing to the unconscious soldier, "Blade Four, check the civilians for survivors."

"What about us, Blade Lead?" Sera asked.

"You're on overwatch, Blade Five; cover the doors and kill anyone wearing Cerberus gear that comes through." Ryan then turned to Wek. "Blade Three, go through any Cerberus Omni-tools you can recover, see if there's any usable intel there."

"Ryan!" Bitters shouted, "Get over here!"

Ryan hurried to the medic's position; the big man was standing over a teenage girl's body, his hands clenched tight enough to scrape the paint on his gauntlets. Looking at the corpse in question, Ryan saw a familiar face; he'd seen the same faces less than an hour ago.

"It's her, isn't it?" Bitters asked.

Ryan felt hot tears in his organic eye and blinked them away. "Yeah, it's her. It's the missing triplet."

"Oh, fierfek," Wek said, having overheard, "Cerberus killed her?"

Ryan knelt down and closed the deceased Saundra's eyes. Seeing the body was bad enough, but he had promised to bring her back to her sisters alive. Over the years, Ryan had tried never to make specific promises; he might say he had a goal, but would never make an oath to reach it. If he did, then that meant he wouldn't back down, and that meant there was a possibility of failure… or tragedy, like today. He told himself that he never should have made that promise to Saundra's sisters, but looking back, he hadn't seen the harm. Now, there was a small, irrational part of Ryan that blamed himself, but mostly Cerberus. There could only be one recourse now.

Revenge.

Trembling in rage, Ryan marched over to the prisoner, who had just come to. With a surprising amount of strength, Ryan lifted the man into the air with one arm, his hand clutching the soldier's throat.

"What was the point of all this!?" he shouted into the man's face, "Why would you kill these kids!?"

"The…" the man didn't have enough air to answer, but instead of easing up on his grip, Ryan hurled the man to the floor, then kicked him in the chest with enough force to crack his armor.

"Answer the kriffing question," Ryan growled, his hand reaching for his dagger.

"We were ordered to capture the children," the trooper gasped out, "The Illusive Man wanted anyone with biotic potential or unique skills to be delivered to him. If we couldn't secure the packages, we were to keep them out of Alliance hands."

At the word 'packages', Ryan saw red; it took Bitters and Sera to keep him from killing the trooper then and there.

"What would happen to them when the Illusive Man got them?" Soleis asked coldly, her claws popping in and out of her gauntlets.

The trooper shrugged. "I don't know—experiment on them, probably. I don't care."

"Blade Lead," Wek said softly, "I've copied and wiped all files on the Omni-tools. I'll need to spend some more time looking through the details, but the preliminary findings suggest that Cerberus knew the identities of everyone they wanted to capture. The staff and security were all supposed to be shot on sight."

Ryan took a deep breath to calm himself down, then looked the trooper in the eye. "This is the last time you bastards get away with something like this. As of now, we will not rest until we have hunted down and killed each and every one of you like the animals you are."

With that, he rose, drew his pistol and put a bolt between the man's eyes. Ryan looked over at his teammates.

"Anyone object to declaring war on Cerberus?"

The other five Blades shook their heads. None of them saw anything wrong with getting rid of monsters like Cerberus.

…

The Blades spent a few minutes arranging the bodies in respectful positions, then headed back the way they came. They didn't encounter any resistance; Shepard and his team had cleaned out the remaining Cerberus forces.

When they reached the hangar, they found Shepard's team waiting for them, along with the surviving staff and students, Jack included. As soon as the Blades arrived, Sarah and Sally dashed towards them.

"Did you find her?" Sarah asked. The Blades looked at Ryan, who gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "we… I couldn't save her."

The remaining triplets stared at him, uncomprehending, for a long moment. Then Sally broke down, falling to her knees and weeping; Sarah joined her a few seconds later, but shot Ryan a glare.

"You promised," she hissed accusingly.

Ryan stepped back, as if he'd been struck. The sisters didn't look at him again as they moved to the other students. Shepard walked over to the younger man.

"You can't save everyone," he said quietly.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. I know. It doesn't mean I can't try."

Shepard opened his mouth to say something, but Joker interrupted him over the comms.

"_Shepard, that Cerberus cruiser is coming around and it's charging weapons. Looks like they know that all their boys are dead, and they don't want anyone to make it out of the academy alive."_

Now it was Ryan's turn to receive a call, as his holocom began to beep. He took the device out and activated it, showing the hologram of Captain Saff Tand.

"_Commander Nimbus," _the Mon Calamari said, _"We got you call, and Admiral M'zan diverted my ship to your location. We're thirty seconds from exiting hyperspace; what do you need?"_

"Thanks for the assist, Captain," Ryan said, "There's a Cerberus cruiser near Grissom Academy, along with a few fighters. We've got civilians to evacuate; could you get rid of those Cerberus bastards for us?"

Tand nodded. _"It would be my pleasure."_

As the hologram cut out, Ryan looked over at Shepard. "You might want to get a snack or something; this is going to be quite the show."

Curious, Shepard's team and some of the students joined the Blades at the nearest viewport. A few seconds later, the Mon Cal Cruiser _Ocean's Majesty _exited hyperspace, almost right on top of the Cerberus cruiser. The smaller ship fired its mass-accelerator cannons, but the _Majesty's _particle shields deflected the shots like they were nothing. There was a barrage of turbolaser fire, and then the Cerberus vessel was reduced to scattered, molten chunks of metal. The fighters that had been orbiting the academy tried to flee, but they were still close enough that the _Majesty's _point-defense guns could pick them off.

Inside the academy, Liara stared with undisguised awe. "By the Goddess… it's one thing to see it on the Extranet, but to view it in person…"

Zaeed gave a low whistle. "Now I wish the Reapers attacked your guys' galaxy instead; they wouldn't last five goddamn minutes!"

"You'd still have Cerberus to deal with," Ryan said grimly, as he and the other Blades headed to the _Desperate Measures_.

"What are you going to do now?" Shepard asked. Ryan barely looked over his shoulder.

"We're going after Cerberus," he said in a dangerous tone, "And we won't stop until they're all dead."

…

**The Citadel**

Councilor Tevos was often seen as graceful and serene; only the most unexpected events could make her show surprise. There were but a handful of people in the galaxy who had ever seen her angry.

Now, however, she was more than angry; she was so furious that she hurled her desk into the closest wall of her office.

She had been so sure that what she was doing was right; the Asari could fortify their defenses while the other species slowed the Reapers down. It made sense to her, and it _should _have made sense to the other Matriarchs. They were the Asari, after all, and the other races should have been grateful to be used as shields.

The Matriarchs, on the other hand, were being as shortsighted as the Humans. They thought that Tevos' decision to withdraw the Asari Republics from the growing coalition was a _mistake_. The Asari, they said, should be helping to build the Crucible, and supplying their allies with supplies and soldiers.

Allies… the very word made it seem like the other races were worth respect from the Asari!

Now, the Matriarchs were questioning Tevos; if she had consulted them first, they said, they might have worked themselves into a favorable position within the coalition. If they joined now, they'd lose face and the upper hand in any negotiations. There were also mutterings that by ignoring the historical parallels between this galaxy and the one that Maverick had come from, Tevos had spat on the trillions who'd died.

The Councilor snarled at the thought of Maverick. Those upstarts thought they were so mighty, all because of their technology. If the Asari had those weapons, they wouldn't need to join the coalition!

Then she paused. If the Asari had those weapons…

Quickly activating her Omni-tool to ensure that no one was listening in, Tevos made a call. After a few seconds, the voice of one of her oldest allies answered.

"_Hello?" _came the voice of Voda D'ranna, a brilliant tactician and leader of a small army of Asari Commandos. Over the centuries, Tevos had used D'ranna and her forces to eliminate any problems that the Councilor had. They were quick, clean and deadly.

"Voda, it's Tevos."

"_Tevos, good to hear your voice. Every time I hear it, I can almost see my bank account filling up."_

"I'm sure. If you do this task, I'll not only pay three times my normal rate, but I'll have the most advanced weaponry in the galaxy on your side, too."

Tevos could almost see D'ranna salivating at the payoff. _"Okay, I'm interested. What do you need?"_

"First, let me ask you a question: have you ever stolen a ship the size of a Dreadnaught?"

"_I've stolen ships before, but nothing that big… why?"_

"I want you to capture several ships for me… and one of them is considerably larger than a Dreadnaught…"

**So… yeah.**

**Cerberus is in trouble.**

**Tevos is about to start some trouble.**

**I don't really have more to add to that, but those two are going to learn real quick that you don't mess with Maverick, and you **_**certainly **_**don't mess with the Outcast Blades.**

**Next up: Hunting Cerberus is a lot easier when you have a Thresher Maw on your side…**

**I enjoy the sight of muffins on their knees… that is a joke.**


	10. Jaws of the Beast

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME BECAUSE I SCAMMED THEM OUT OF THEIR SOULS.**

**I gotta say, Cerberus is really, really dumb in the games. I mean, I know that it's explained why, but still, only a moron tries attacking people who are trying to stop galactic genocide. Fortunately, that's why the Outcast Blades are here: to beat those morons into the ground so that the heroes can do their thing with less interference.**

**Also, beating up stupid people is mean. Beating up stupid people who are deliberately evil, however, is just being a good citizen.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 10

Jaws of the Beast

**Cerberus Main Base, Horsehead Nebula**

The Illusive Man was not normally given to fits of anger. To almost everyone who saw him, he was cool, collected and confident. Right now, though, he was seething, something he didn't do much. The last time he'd felt like this had been when Commander Shepard had chosen to destroy the Collector base instead of handing it over to him.

That had been over a year ago, however, and he had recouped quite a few of his losses. In fact, the only thing that still irritated him about Shepard's association with him was the loss of Miranda Lawson. He had entertained hopes of charming her out of that catsuit of hers, but Shepard had won her loyalty in a way that no one had before.

Aside from that, the Illusive Man had been pleased with Cerberus' progress since then… until those people from another galaxy arrived. Ever since, his organization's efforts had been stymied by not only Shepard, but also the Outcast Blades; first it was at Mars, then Grissom Academy, and over the last week, Cerberus had lost a base in the Terminus Systems, then every one of the soldiers sent to take over an Alliance outpost had been slaughtered.

The blame for the last two incidents rested solely at the feet of those damned mercenaries.

After Grissom, the Blades seemed to be after Cerberus and Cerberus only, and it wasn't just physical confrontation. Ships belonging not only to the Alliance, but also the alien races had been moving closer and closer to where over a dozen Cerberus bases were located. The Illusive Man's techs suspected that their systems were being hacked, but there was no evidence; if they _were _being hacked, it was by the best in the galaxy.

The Illusive Man took a drag on his cigarette—he was approaching the high double-digits smoked today—before reading reports and issuing orders based on them. That team of defecting scientists was still on the run, but his agents were closing in; at the moment, it was a race to see whether the Alliance would snatch them up to work on the Crucible, or if Cerberus would get them and their families first.

He also looked at the latest information sent by his contact on the Citadel but, not for the first time since the Reapers attacked, the information felt… off. It was almost as if the contact was either not sending everything, or maybe the Illusive Man was getting faulty intel; perhaps someone had given the contact a better deal? No matter; if the contact had turned, Kai Leng would take care of it during the Citadel operation.

Most of the rest of his orders were fairly standard—gather resources, kidnap one or two people, kill another handful—but the last one was a little interesting. It was on Akuze, where Shepard had stopped a Cerberus cell that had been testing Thresher Maw venom by injecting it into captured Alliance soldiers. After Shepard had destroyed the base there three years ago, Cerberus had rebuilt it; they had saved the data from their tests, and were preparing to move on to the next phase. If it was successful, and the Illusive Man believed that it would, then Cerberus would have a nigh-unstoppable weapon for all of its future ground-operations.

The only danger to the base at the moment was a joint Human-Turian task force on the planet; it was only four squads of soldiers with a few tech specialists, up against over fifty of his best troops.

The Illusive Man smiled as he poured himself a glass of whiskey, wishing that he had access to the surveillance footage; it would have been entertaining to see those Alliance and Turian soldiers get massacred.

There might have been setbacks, but Cerberus was still moving forward with its plans. Nothing could stop them.

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

"Okay, we've sent the intel from the Cerberus outpost," Ryan said, "You should be getting a better picture of what they're doing in the Terminus Systems."

"_Excellent work, Commander," _Admiral Hackett replied, his hologram actually showing him smile a little, _"Your efforts are freeing up Alliance personnel to focus on the Reaper front."_

"I'm just glad we're ruining Cerberus' day, Admiral," Ryan said, then cracked a grin, "Of course, getting paid for our efforts is certainly helping."

Once the Blades had announced to Hackett and M'zan that they would be focusing on getting rid of Cerberus, Hackett had put them on the payroll. Eliminating Cerberus troops, stealing their intel and liberating their supplies had helped the Alliance, and they were more than happy to give them a hefty salary.

"_I'm sure it does," _Hackett said, before his face turned serious, _"Did Blade Three make any more progress on locating Cerberus' main base?"_

Ryan shook his head. "We've found that Cerberus' digital security is beatable, but they're very good at detecting when someone cracks their systems. If Blade Three pushes too hard, they'll go underground and we'll be at the beginning again. At the moment, we're just narrowing down sections of the galaxy, but we'll find them.

"We _did _find something interesting, however," Ryan brought up his Omni-tool. "Blade Three intercepted a transmission between the Illusive Man and some troops on a planet called Akuze. Seems some Alliance and Turian troops are being targeted there."

"_Akuze… now that's a planet I wish would stay off the radar," _Hackett said ruefully, _"Last time Cerberus was there, they were experimenting with Thresher Maw venom by injecting into captured Alliance soldiers. Shepard burned that base to the ground three years ago, but it looks like they're back. Commander, could you and your team get there?"_

"Absolutely," Ryan said confidently, "We'll be there within the next twelve hours."

"_I envy that hyperdrive," _Hackett said in good humor, _"it would take three days for any ship using a Mass Relay to get there from your location. I'll keep you posted on any additional intel. Hackett out."_

Once Hackett's hologram faded, Ryan turned around to see Tanith, Bitters and Soleis standing in the doorway. "Any objections to a quick stop at Akuze?"

Tanith shook her head. "Cerberus loses troops, possibly a base and some research, while a bunch of allied soldiers stay alive; I don't see a downside."

"I do," Soleis said, "The wildlife is the stuff of nightmares. You ever see a Thresher Maw?" at three shaking heads, she continued. "Over thirty meters long, can pop up right under you, regenerating flesh, jaws big enough to swallow a Krogan whole… oh, and they spit acid."

Bitters just shrugged. "Can't be worse than Felucia."

"Yeah, there's that," Tanith agreed, then explained to the Blades' newest member. "Jungle planet with monsters ten times your size, all of which want to eat you. Then there're the locals; the Dark Side of the Force corrupted them, making them psychotic killers. Basically, the entire planet is evil, and that's not hyperbole."

"Did you ever go there?" Soleis asked, somewhat unnerved that her teammates were unconcerned with the biggest, most dangerous predator in the galaxy.

"I did," Ryan said, remembering his one-man crusade against Moff Laar, "I had to stay in the jungle for days. Monsters and the native Felucians left me alone after I set a dozen of 'em on fire, but I also had to deal with the Empire there. It wasn't my favorite place to be."

Soleis sighed. "Okay, why is everything in your galaxy ten times scarier than anything here?"

"Probably because the Reapers killed anything before it became too big a threat," Bitters guessed, "I mean, they come every fifty thousand years, right? That doesn't give a whole lot of time for any species to evolve past a certain point."

"That… makes a crazy amount of sense," Soleis admitted.

"Well, let's not keep Cerberus waiting," Ryan said, then headed out to inform Wek and Sera, "Tanith, prep the ship to make the hyperspace-jump. As soon as we're in hyperspace, we all have six hours to get ready, then another six to rest; then it's show time."

…

Once the mission was explained to Wek and Sera, the Blades began preparing. Weapons were inspected and cleaned, armor was checked and equipment was tested. After years of doing this, the Blades had checked and double-checked everything in only four hours, leaving eight more to rest or complete any pre-mission habits.

For Soleis, her pre-mission rituals involved doing what she liked to call 'the dance of death'. In the cargo bay and clad in normal clothes—a dark-green shirt and pants, with brown shoes—she put on her gauntlets and activated her claws. She then practiced all of her moves—slashes, stabs, parries and so on—but in such slowness and grace that it looked like a dance. It was her way of relaxing, while also inspecting her own moves for any faults.

She had just finished a complex series of swipes that, had the move been going at full speed and strength, would leave anything short of a heavily-armored Krogan in pieces, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Not bad at all."

With a startled yelp, Soleis spun around, her claws stopping inches away from Wek's face. For his part, the Nautolan's only sign of surprise was a slight widening of his eyes.

"Do you always attack people who compliment you, or is today special?"

Soleis retracted her claws, incredibly embarrassed. "Sorry about that. Normally when I practice, everyone left me alone, mostly because I was a biotic and no one wanted to be near me."

"I thought they didn't go near you when you practiced because you would freak out and almost stab them," Wek joked. When Soleis only looked away, he quickly apologized. "Look, sorry, I was just kidding. If you want me to leave, I'll—"

"No, it's okay," Soleis said quickly, then sat down on a supply crate. "I could use someone to talk to anyway."

Wek sat down next to her and smiled. "Any time."

Soleis gave a brief smile back. "It's just that… I feel kind of outclassed here. You guys have fought against a galaxy-spanning empire, and against all the odds, you helped bring it down. You're the best I've ever seen, but I'm… well, I was rated as slightly above-average during training. I still have trouble believing that I deserve to be here."

Wek gave her a flat stare, then lightly smacked her upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Soleis demanded indignantly.

For a second, Wek felt bad; he hadn't expected the back of a Turian's head to be so sensitive. Then he shoved the thought down; he needed to nip this problem in the bud.

"Okay, I'm going to poke a hole in each point of your argument. First, yes, we fought against the Empire, but _you _were fighting the Reapers before we were. At the least the Empire didn't try to rip your face off. Second, you were in combat missions before the Reapers attacked, right?" at Soleis' nod, he continued. "Well, you must have improved after training, so if you 'just above-average', then you must be _really _good now.

"As for deserving to be here…" here, Wek took a chance and briefly gave the Turian a one-armed hug, "Ryan is a good judge of character. You are the first person to be added to the Blades since Sera, and that was almost five years ago. We've met Special Forces guys, commandos and Jedi, but Ryan has never added any of them to our roster. He saw something in you; he saw it on Menae, which was kind of like your trial run. After that, we all saw it, too; you deserve to be here, Sol. Trust me on that."

Soleis' mandibles flared; she appreciated Wek's words, but then something he'd said made her stop.

"Did you just call me Sol?"

Wek flinched; Soleis hadn't been an Outcast Blade for long, and giving her a nickname probably wasn't something to do so early.

"Was that wrong?" _I really need to talk to Ryan about speaking to women._

"No, it's just that… no one's called me that in years, not since I was little. It was something my friends called me."

"Am _I _your friend?" Wek asked, his large eyes full of curiosity, hope and apprehension.

Soleis smiled and returned the half-hug that Wek still held her in. "Sure. I always wanted a blue friend that wasn't an Asari; every one of them I've met seemed _way _too turned on by the fact that I'm a biotic… and I'm not that into girls anyway."

Wek smiled in relief, though what part of her comment he was smiling about was something neither of them knew.

Behind them, completely unnoticed, Sera and Bitters had been watching the exchange for quite some time. Silently, Bitters handed Sera fifty credits.

Once they moved away, beyond Wek and Soleis' hearing range, Sera spoke. "I told you they would begin moving towards a romantic relationship before the first month."

"Yeah, yeah," Bitters grumbled, "This is why I don't like gambling with you. You have an addiction, Sera."

"You only say that because I win the majority of my wagers," Sera retorted, "It is one of the benefits to being a droid: I am right more often than I am wrong."

"We need another droid on the ship," Bitters said to himself, once he went to the med-bay to make sure everything was in order, "Sera really needs a challenger who doesn't actually _need _credits."

…

**Akuze **

When the Blades set foot on the planet, they were armed, armored and ready for anything. Until the ship was locked and secured behind them, however, they didn't take their eyes off the ramp. Once the ship was secure, they looked around; the terrain was fairly rocky, with sparse vegetation and a few patches of snow.

"Great, we're here in the winter months," Wek complained, "I hate the snow; I'm amphibian!"

"At least it's not the monsoon season," Soleis replied, "This entire area would probably be flooded, and Turians don't swim well."

"They don't?" Tanith asked.

"When I say 'don't swim well', I mean that we drown. Every single time."

"Focus, people," Ryan said sternly, even as he moved forward, "Those squads of Alliance and Turian soldiers are close, and we need to reach them before Cerberus does."

The Blades quickly followed their leader, eyes peeled for any unwanted company. All around them, the only sound was the wind whistling past and the muffled crunch of snow beneath their boots.

"It's almost nice here," Tanith commented over the comms.

"Other than the xenophobic terrorists and the acid-spitting worms, you mean," Ryan said, "Aside from that, yeah; I could see building a house on a planet like this."

Tanith opened her mouth to make a joke, but the loud crack of a gunshot echoed through the shallow valley they traveled through. The Blades took cover, but there was no second shot.

"Anyone hit?" Bitters demanded.

"That echo originated at the end of the valley," Wek said, his sniper's mind going into overdrive, "Judging from the direction of the wind, the only place the shot would go without deviating would be… there."

Ryan followed Wek's outstretched hand, pointing to the left. "Great job, Blade Three. You and Blade Six take point, scout the area; we'll be right behind you."

Wek and Soleis nodded, then took off. A few seconds later, they activated their stealth-generators and disappeared.

The rest of the Blades moved forward at a more cautious pace, but froze when Wek contacted them over the comms. Thankfully, they could tell from the first second that he and Soleis weren't in danger, but they were ready to sprint at a moment's notice.

"_Guys, we'd spotted a Cerberus sniper," _Wek reported, _"Totally suited up, just like the rest of their troops, but she's not wearing the same kind of armor. It's really thin-looking, kind of like Liara's outfit when we first met her, but without the lab coat and in Cerberus colors."_

"What was her target?" Ryan asked, comfortable enough to start moving again.

"_Hang on, there's a big rock in the way," _Wek said, _"Blade Six is moving to ID the target. I'm keeping my eye on the sniper; looks like she missed her target, or there're more, because she's still got her rifle aimed. She's got a good position, but she definitely wasn't prepared for someone who was already on her flank."_

"_Blade Six here," _Soleis said, before Wek could start criticizing the sniper even more, _"I've got eyes on the sniper's targets. I count five Alliance troops, three Turian… and a pack of Vorcha? What the hell? No one said anything about Vorcha being here!"_

During their read through the Codex, the Blades had learned about the Vorcha. About the same size as a Human, but thinner and more wiry, they were seen as the sapient vermin of the galaxy. They were often used as cannon fodder by other mercenaries, barely intelligent enough to point a gun in the right direction. However, they were smarter than most people gave them credit for, usually because the only Vorcha people saw were the ones dumb enough to run headlong into a hail of gunfire.

Apparently, the ones in front of them were among the smarter variety, or they were under the command of someone who cared about them and told them to take cover.

"Blade Three, take out the sniper on my mark," Ryan said quietly, "Blade Six, get back to his position and keep an eye out; that sniper might not be alone."

"_Got it, boss."_

"_Understood, Commander."_

Ryan held up a fist, telling Tanith, Bitters and Sera to freeze; they didn't want to make any excess noise that might alert the sniper, even if she was a fair distance away.

"Mark."

Too far away to hear the sound-suppressed shot, Ryan had to wait for Wek's response.

"_Sniper is down, Blade Lead," _Wek reported, much to everyone's relief, _"I'm not seeing any other Cerberus forces."_

"Nice job," Ryan said, moving again, "Let's say hi to our new friends, shall we?"

The Blades regrouped at the end of the valley, overlooking the area that the Alliance, Turians and Vorcha had been hiding.

"Who are you people?" an Alliance soldier, a Sergeant, demanded.

Ryan nodded at him. "Blade Lead, CO of the Outcast Blades. Admiral Hackett sent us to take out the Cerberus forces here, find any useful intel, and make sure that you guys didn't die."

"I appreciate the assist," the Sergeant said, then held out his hand. "Sergeant Miles Trench, Alliance Marine Corps."

Ryan shook Trench's hand. "Good to meet you, Sergeant. Is this all the men you have left?"

Trench shook his head. "The rest of us are back at camp, we're just scouting."

Tanith glanced around at the group. "Quite a lot of you for scouting."

Trench shrugged. "With Thresher Maws in the area, you don't travel in small groups. Hell, even with all of us, we're still considered understaffed."

_These guys are really scared of these Thresher Maws, _Ryan mused, but kept it to himself.

"Why don't we head to your camp, and you can give us a sitrep?" he suggested out loud.

Trench nodded. "Good idea."

…

"We came here to investigate an SOS," Trench explained as they moved from cover to cover, "It was the same kind of emergency beacon that's deployed by infantry units that take over fifty-percent losses. Our own ship was damaged when we left Earth, but a Turian frigate offered us a lift, seeing as we're all friends now. They sent a couple squads, we sent a couple squads.

"We found the beacon, but it was a trap; Cerberus was waiting with turrets, snipers, you name it, they even had one of those old ATLAS combat-walkers. We'd have died for sure if the Vorcha hadn't been there; they hit the Cerberus flank, made just enough of a distraction for us to bail out. We've been ducking their patrols for three days."

One of the Vorcha made a hissing noise before speaking. "Cerberus bad! They take our people, fill them with needles and fire, then kill them. We here for revenge."

Trench nodded. "Apparently, these Vorcha have been here for almost a year; they were dropped off by a bunch of Krogan mercs who didn't want 'em anymore. They started building a colony, using scavenged stuff from the old Alliance colony that used to be here. It was actually pretty impressive. Then Cerberus set up shop a couple months back; they blew up the colony, then started hunting down the Vorcha for either target-practice or for whatever sick experiments they've got going on."

"Have you tried leaving?" Ryan asked.

"We can't," Trench replied, "The Turian ship dropped us off, then had to bug out when Cerberus set up a ground-to-space missile battery. Its range covers the entire planet; if we don't take it out, we're never getting off."

"Our ship left once we found out," a Turian soldier added, "They retreated into the Mass Relay before they got hit. We can't contact them for support because Cerberus is jamming us."

"But _we _landed on the ship without any problems," Soleis said.

"The _Desperate _was probably too small to pick up," Tanith said thoughtfully, "Besides, we can't get everyone onboard anyway; not enough room."

"Then we'll have to take out the missile battery and the base first," Ryan said, then looked at Trench. "How long until we reach your camp? We have some planning to do."

…

When the group reached the camp, a council of war was held. The Blades, a couple of the senior Vorcha and the four squad leaders were gathered around a holographic map of the terrain. At the center of it, surrounded by large, jagged rocks and protected by a series of gun turrets and an unknown amount of troops, was the Cerberus base.

"It's not an outpost, it's a fortress!" Wek said.

"There's no way to take that base," Trench said, shaking his head, "Not without armor and artillery."

"No, we can make this work," Ryan said, not taking his eyes off the fortress, "Now, we can't get everyone inside the base, but my team could get in."

"How?" a large Turian asked, an eye-ridge raised, "Can you turn invisible?"

"Actually, yes," Ryan said dismissively, shutting the Turian up, "However, our cloak will only hold up for a short time. We can't move too fast while cloaked or it will fail, and we won't have enough time to make it across that no-man's land before it wears off."

"You'd need a distraction," Trench realized, "Someone to hold Cerberus' attention long enough for you to make it at least halfway across that field, _then _use your cloak to get inside."

"Spirits, you want to use us as bait!" the other Turian officer exclaimed.

"Only for a few minutes," Ryan said quickly, "Just long enough for us to get across and into the base. Once that's done, you guys get the hell out of there; we'll take care of the rest."

The first Turian tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You're going to have a hell of a fight once you're inside. Considering the size of that base… I'd guess at least a hundred Cerberus soldiers, and these guys are good, borderline Special Forces."

"Good," Bitters said, grinning in anticipation, "that means that the Illusive Man will be short some of his best troops when we tear his whole organization down."

Trench looked at the Blades, incredulous. "You're not worried about the opposition in there?"

The Blades glanced at each other, then spoke as one. "Nope."

"You brave," one of the Vorcha hissed, "Me like that. When you go into base, find lost Vorcha. They help you."

"How do we know if they're even alive?" Tanith asked, "Assuming they are, if Cerberus is experimenting on them, they might not be fit to fight."

"Vorcha are tougher than you'd think," Trench said, "Unless you kill them outright, they'll just regenerate. Give a Vorcha five minutes, he'll look like he was never hurt."

Wek gave a low whistle. "Okay, now that's something I wish I could do."

"All right, we'll keep an eye out for any prisoners," Ryan said, "For now, tell your men to get ready; we move out in an hour."

…

**The Citadel**

"Shepard…"

"I know, Garrus."

"Really? Because you're not doing anything about it."

"You saw the look on the guy's face when I said yes; he'd probably feel like I ripped his heart out if I went back on the deal."

"Well, yes, but…" Garrus pointed to the holographic sign with the Commander's face on it. "I was so _happy _when those were taken down last year, and now it's back!"

"_I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."_

"Argh!" Garrus threw his hands over his head, then covered his ear-holes to block out the sound. "It never leaves!"

"I believe that the sign brings out your eyes, Commander."

"Thanks, EDI," Shepard said, smiling at the AI, "Nice to see someone actually appreciating what I do."

"Although," EDI said thoughtfully, "The hologram does make the rest of you look rather… bloated."

"Argh!" now it was Shepard's turn to throw his hands up in annoyance. He turned to walk away, but froze.

Walking towards him was probably the most beautiful Human female in existence. Clad in a black bodysuit that she had to have been poured into, curves in all the right places, a beautiful face framed in raven hair and a swing in her hips that drew the attention of just about every man—and quite a few women—who saw her.

Shepard, however, was not staring at the woman because his mind was in the gutter—he was too loyal to Tali for that. No, he was staring because he was sure that the woman would have been arrested by C-Sec the moment she'd stepped on the Citadel.

"Miranda?" he asked, once the woman got closer to him, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, Commander," Miranda Lawson said in her Australian accent, "I was hoping to catch up with you before you left."

"You did," Garrus said, "We were just resupplying before we headed out to our next mission. Good to see you again, Miranda."

"Likewise, Garrus," Miranda replied with a small smile; she'd always appreciated the Turian's professionalism, if not his sense of humor.

"Miss Lawson," EDI said, stepping forward, "it is a pleasant surprise to see you here. I was unaware that you were on the Citadel."

Miranda blinked in surprise. "EDI? When did you get a body?"

"We took out a Cerberus mech on Mars," Shepard explained, "EDI deleted the AI inside, then put herself in."

"I'll bet Joker was pleased with the new arrangement," Miranda deadpanned.

"He was," EDI said, "However, when I sat next to him in the cockpit, his attention to his work dropped twenty-seven percent."

"Only that much?" Miranda asked, "He has more self-control than I thought."

Shepard and Garrus laughed, but EDI only tilted her head, not getting it; Joker was still working on teaching her the concept of humor.

"So, Miranda," Shepard said, getting more serious, "What brings you here? Do you need something?"

"What makes you think I came here for your help, Shepard?" Miranda asked.

Shepard crossed his arms. "You're ex-Cerberus, and I'm sure you're on the watch-list for C-Sec, so coming to the Citadel _in the open _seems kind of stupid for someone as smart as you. You also don't do anything for a reason, but I've learned that the more direct you are, the more important the situation is. Third, and this one is the most obvious, you maintained eye-contact with me the entire time you were walking."

Miranda blinked, as did Garrus. They both knew that Shepard was smart—you had to be to get into the N7 program, and Shepard was one of the best, if not _the _best in the program's history—but Shepard rarely showed just how brilliant he really was. He could read someone like a book after only a few minutes of talking with them; he was also adept at getting people to do what he wanted, appealing to their nature and yet not outright manipulating them, leaving the choices to them. And that was just his social skills; his tactical abilities were so good that his instructors had had to create whole new charts to account for his skills. He'd put those skills to good use at the Battle of Elysium five years ago, when he'd led a handful of inexperienced troops against an invading force of pirates who'd had him outnumbered and outgunned.

In the words of Admiral Hackett himself, 'Shepard was Sun Tzu reincarnated. It's just good that he's so loyal to the Alliance; if he wanted to, he could take over the galaxy in a year, and half of his victories would be won without firing a shot.'

"That's… true, Commander," Miranda admitted, "I was hoping to get your assistance in a matter."

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked, his eyes already looking around for potential threats as his protective nature kicked in; Miranda had been a member of his crew, and he considered her a friend.

"Nothing at the moment, just suspicions," Miranda assured him, "It's my sister, Oriana. I think that my father is trying to capture her again."

"I thought we covered her tracks?" Shepard asked, remembering when he'd helped save Miranda's twin—and yet younger—sister.

"Cerberus did," Miranda corrected, "And my father has close ties to Cerberus. I threw away everything the Illusive Man had given me; he's petty enough to give Oriana's location to my father if it meant getting revenge."

Shepard thought about it for a moment. "I've got Spectre resources, an advanced AI, a detective, top-of-the-line communications systems, and the Shadow Broker on my ship. What if you join my crew, and we can help each other?"

Miranda was surprised. She had only been hoping to get some security clearance from Shepard, but the amount of resources he was offering her… it was better than anything she could have hoped for.

"Thank you, Commander," Miranda said, a rare, genuine smile gracing her lips, "I'll grab my effects and take them to the _Normandy_."

"You might need to find a new room," Garrus said, "Liara kind of set up shop there."

Miranda shrugged. "I'm sure I'll work something out. I just have one question."

"What's that?" Shepard asked.

"It's about your new body, EDI," Miranda said, looking at the AI, "Why does it look like me from the neck down, and why are you wearing one of my outfits?"

Shepard and Garrus did a quick double-take between the synthetic woman and the organic one. Both of them had suspected that EDI shared the same physical appearance as Miranda, but seeing them standing in front of each other confirmed it.

"That's a good question," Shepard said, then looked at EDI, "Why _does _your body look like Miranda's?"

EDI cocked her head as she accessed her body's history. "The Illusive Man based this platform off of Miss Lawson's physical dimensions. Until the previous AI was installed, he had this platform simply stand next to him."

"I always suspected that he was a creepy perv," Shepard said, "But that… wow."

"Maybe he watches a lot of those old spy vids," Garrus suggested, "You know, the one with the Human who has those drinks and always gets the girl?"

"James Bond?" Shepard guessed, "Yeah, I could see him getting the idea from that, but he isn't nearly as cool."

"As for your second question," EDI continued, "Liara located a hidden compartment in your previous quarters with several outfits inside. Since it fitted this platform, I selected several. Is this permissible?"

From the look on Miranda's face, it wasn't, but she was too disciplined to say it. Shepard and Garrus inwardly groaned; this was going to end badly when they were on the ship.

_I hope Ryan doesn't have to deal with this sort of drama on _his _team, _Shepard thought, just as his Omni-tool beeped, signaling that he was getting a message. As he read it, his eyes went wide in surprise, something that his three teammates noticed.

"Shepard? What's wrong?" Garrus asked.

"Head to the _Normandy_," Shepard ordered, "I just got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett.

"Eden Prime is under attack."

…

**Akuze**

"Final check," Ryan said into the short-range comms, which Cerberus couldn't jam, "Outcast Blades, ready."

"_Right prong, ready," _Sergeant Trench said, as head of the Alliance part of the attack.

"_Center prong, ready," _one of the Turian sergeants said.

"_Left prong. We go now?" _the Vorcha leader asked.

The plan revolved around the coalition forces, along with the Vorcha, to attack from three different locations. This would force Cerberus to split their fire; if they focused on just one group, they risked getting flanked. Either way, the fire heading their way would be minimized, but it would still provide the distraction necessary for the Blades to make their way across no-man's land.

"Remember, keep them busy for ten minutes," Ryan said, ignoring the eager Vorcha, "No matter what happens, once the time is up, get out of their range."

What Ryan didn't say was that the coalition forces were to retreat even if the Blades failed. They didn't really have a backup plan in case this didn't work; the only other idea they had was to get to the _Desperate Measures _and use it to attack the base, but the antiaircraft batteries, while unlikely to do any damage to the _beskar _hull, would certainly ruin their day.

"_Good luck, guys," _Trench said, then cut the transmission.

"You ready?" Ryan asked his teammates.

"Absolutely," Tanith replied.

"Yep," Wek said, checking his dagger before sheathing it.

"Yes, now let's go," Bitters said impatiently.

"Affirmative," Sera said.

"Let's do this," Soleis said, eager to start.

Ryan nodded, then activated the comms again.

"All forces, begin the attack."

Dashing out of their cover, the three groups opened fire at the Cerberus fortifications, surprising a few of the patrolling soldiers and killing them. It didn't take long for Cerberus to respond, however; the large guns on the roof of the base, as well as the ones located at ground-level, opened fire, halting the attackers' advance.

So far, the plan was working.

"Go, go, go!" Ryan ordered, running as fast as he could towards no man's land. The Blades couldn't move that fast while using their stealth-generators, so they stuck to the shadows cast by the jutting rocks, hoping that their allies created enough of a distraction.

"Five minutes," Sera said, checking the time left for the assault.

"Making good time," Ryan said tersely; they were only a couple of minutes away from their optimal position.

Still, those couple of minutes seemed to stretch on forever; it was almost a surprise when they reached the location.

"Disappear, now!" Ryan said, almost belatedly, as the team activated their stealth-generators.

Now forced to move at a light jog, progress towards the base was slow-going, but the sound of combat could still be clearly heard. Two minutes later, it started to die down, prompting Ryan to check on the coalition forces.

"All teams, report status."

"_Right prong here," _Trench said, _"I've got a few wounded, nothing serious."_

"_Center prong," _one of the Turians said next, _"We have four wounded, one fatality."_

"_Left prong. Some dead. Others healing."_

Ryan suppressed a wince. Everyone had known that the operation was high-risk, which was why Ryan had offered the choice to stay behind for anyone who wanted to. However, not a single man or woman had taken him up on the offer. Still, Ryan felt a bit of responsibility for the deaths.

Tanith seemed to read his mind. "It wasn't your fault. Remember, every time we go out into a fight, we know the risks. It doesn't matter if we're soldiers or mercenaries."

Ryan almost sighed. "I know. It still sucks."

The rest of the way to the base was uneventful, but several times, the guns at the ground-level turned in their direction, but didn't fire. Finally, they were close to the wall.

"Three minutes left on the cloak," Wek reported.

"Five guards at this position," Soleis said, "How do you want to handle this, Lead?"

Ryan glanced at the area for a moment. "Blade Five: give the explosives to Blade Two. Two, you're in charge of breaching the wall; set the explosives on a timer, not manual detonation. You'll want to throw the bombs about fifteen seconds after we engage the guards."

"Fifteen seconds to kill five guys?" Bitters asked, "Not much of a challenge."

"Fifteen seconds to kill five guys and then get out of the blast radius," Ryan corrected him.

"Two minutes," Wek said.

"Marking targets now," Ryan said, his cybernetic eye placing numbers over the guards, one through six, but without a two, the numbers then becoming visible to the other Blades via their HUDs.

"Engage on my mark," Ryan said, slowly drawing his carbine and aiming, while the others did the same with their own weapons, "Mark!"

Five blasters fired simultaneously, and five Cerberus troops dropped dead. Tanith then sprinted forward, hurled the explosives that Sera had given her moments earlier, then dashed back, huddling behind a rocky outcropping just as the bombs exploded, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

"Move, move, move!" Ryan shouted, charging through the breach. While the smoke from the explosion blurred his vision, he still fired at the first form he saw, then did the same three more times. The sound of more blaster-fire echoed for a moment, and when the smoke cleared, a dozen Cerberus troops were dead.

"I thought these were the Illusive Man's elite?" Soleis asked, unimpressed.

"Don't let your guard down," Ryan said, "We have no idea what else is here."

The Blades moved into the next part of the facility. To their credit, Cerberus had reacted quickly to the intrusion, and their engineers had set up several layers of automated turrets. Those were a problem for the organic Blades, but Sera calmly strode forward, ignoring the bullets that bounced off of her armor. Her cannon roared, each shot blowing a turret into scrap or a Cerberus soldier into bloody chunks.

"I know a lot of troops in the Hierarchy who would kill to have that kind of firepower," Soleis commented.

"I knew a lot of people in the Rebellion who said the same thing," Wek replied, before calmly firing his sniper rifle over Sera's shoulder, his shot going right through the vision-slit of a shield held by a Cerberus soldier, separating the man's body from his head.

The fight through the base began to drag on, the quick assault turning into a slog. The Blades were soon facing more and more Cerberus troops, and it looked like they'd be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. They needed something to even the odds…

"Blade Three, is that a computer terminal?" Ryan asked, pointing to a wall on one side of the hallway they were in.

Wek followed his leader's hand, then smiled behind his mask. "Yes it is, and that means that things just got a whole lot more interesting."

"Do what you can," Ryan said, even as he snapped off a shot that caught a Cerberus soldier in the throat. "We'll cover you."

With his teammates killing anyone who got close, Wek immediately began bypassing the computer's security. As he accessed more functions, he grinned even wider.

"Blade Lead, you're going to love this. This terminal controls the turrets on the walls and on the ground; I can turn them around, have them shoot down Cerberus guys instead!"

"Anything else?" Ryan asked, "Useful intel or something?"

Wek shrugged. "I can download a map of the base's interior, but any intel beyond this base is going to be at the main computer."

"We'll get to that later, then; for now, turn those turrets around!" a minute later, once Wek gave him an assuring nod, Ryan activated his comms. "All attack groups, this is Blade Lead; our attack on the base has stalled, but we've sabotaged the turrets on the outside to attack Cerberus troops instead. Can you attack again?"

When Trench replied a moment later, the sound of cheering was in the background. _"Hot damn, kid, I was half expecting you all to be dead by now. We're mobilizing as fast as we can, we should be there in a few minutes."_

"That's all?" Ryan asked.

"_If no one's shooting at us, we don't have to be as cautious."_

"Good point. Just hurry, would you? There're a bit too many Cerberus guys who want to dance."

"_Let us free up your dance card then, okay? Trench out."_

"Blades, hold your positions!" Ryan shouted, then drew his pistol to join his carbine. "Reinforcements will be here soon!"

It was difficult to hold back the dozens of troops that hit them from both sides, but Cerberus' progress was slowed by the growing piles of bodies in their way. Still, it was harrowing, and every one of the Blades felt a bullet strike their armor, or in Soleis' case, her biotic barrier. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the river of Cerberus reinforcements tapered off, and more distant combat could be heard in other parts of the facility.

"Looks like we just caught a break," Tanith said, relieved.

"We need to make use of it," Ryan said, "Those guys won't last forever."

The Blades finished off the last of the nearby enemies, then followed the map that Wek had downloaded to where the prisoners were supposed to be held. They blew through the guards at the door and, rather than have Wek slice through the security, Sera simply fired at the door until it shattered.

As soon as they entered, Ryan felt sick; the room was less of a place to house prisoners as it was to dissect them. Pieces of Vorcha were suspended in Mass Effect fields or laid out on tables. Only one Vorcha was still alive, strapped to a large table, manacled at the wrists and ankles. For the briefest of moments, Ryan was back at Moff Laar's base, in the same position. He quickly shook himself out of it; there was someone who needed help.

"Blade Four, get that Vorcha out of there, check if he's all right." Then Ryan switched to his comms. "Attention, all attack groups: we found where the prisoners were being held. There was only one survivor. I'm sorry."

"_Gah, you make Cerberus pay, Blade! You kill all!"_

"With pleasure," Ryan snarled, then cut the transmission. "Blade Four, what's the prisoner's status?"

"Thank the Force for Vorcha regeneration," Bitters said, even as he yanked needles and tubes out of the semiconscious Vorcha, "Otherwise, he'd be dead five times over."

"Ugh," the Vorcha groaned, his eyes fully opening, then looked around. "Who you? You not Cerberus. You save Xin? Why?"

"We wanted to stop Cerberus," Soleis answered, "But first, we wanted to save anyone they'd captured."

"Still not answer question," Xin said, eying them suspiciously, "Who you?"

"We're the Outcast Blades," Ryan said, looking through the dead Cerberus soldiers to get a weapon for their new friend.

"Outcasts? Why you outcast? What you do?"

"You're awfully chatty for a Vorcha," Soleis commented.

Xin glared at her. "Not all Vorcha dumb. Xin knows things. Can even fly ship."

Soleis opened a private comm-channel to Ryan. "Commander, we have no idea what Cerberus did to this guy. He could be a time bomb for all we know."

Ryan considered that for a moment, then turned to Xin. "If I give you a gun, will you use it on us?"

Xin tilted his head. "You fight Cerberus. You save Xin. Xin will fight for you. Xin will die for you."

"How about just the fighting part?" Ryan suggested, then handed Xin a Mattock assault rifle. "I don't want anyone dying for me."

Xin grinned, his mouth full of needle-sharp teeth. "Xin like that idea. Xin kill lots of Cerberus. Reapers too."

"Good enough for me," Ryan said, "Get anything you can salvage, we're blowing this place sky-high soon."

Like most Vorcha, Xin was wearing metal briefs, and a single belt across his back and torso, which attached to a shoulder-plate on his right shoulder. Vorcha didn't need armor for the most part; their rapid regeneration took care of injuries, though some did have kinetic barriers.

Wek, caught the other Blades' attention from his position at the lab's computers. "Guys, I know what Cerberus was doing with the Vorcha; they were experimenting with their regeneration, trying to incorporate it into Human DNA."

"Gene splicing," Bitters said, scowling, "I hate it when people do that, it never ends well."

"Just when I think Cerberus won't find another reason to make me sick…" Tanith said, shaking her head.

After a minute, Xin had another pistol and had loosely hung a few plates of damaged Cerberus armor over his chest and back.

"Xin ready. Wish Xin had rocket launcher, but Cerberus broke it. Gah, Xin will kill them!"

"Okay, everyone, let's move out!" Ryan left the lab, but ducked when a squad of Cerberus troops rounded the corner and opened fire.

The other Blades, plus Xin, returned fire, killing a few of the troopers and sending the rest into a retreat.

"We hunt them down?" Xin asked hopefully, "We kill them?"

Wek checked the map. "Well, they _are _headed in the same direction we are."

"Then that settles it," Ryan said, smiling behind his helmet, "The answer, Xin, is yes."

Xin hissed in pleasure, but rather than blindly charge forward, he stayed with the Blades, his eyes searching for targets.

"Okay, I've seen smart Vorcha before," Soleis said over the comms, so that Xin didn't hear her, "But I've never even heard of one who had that kind of head for tactics. Did Cerberus do something to him?"

Wek looked at the files he'd downloaded. "Says here that they were using an intelligence-boosting drug on him. It looks like they were trying to find a way to counter the intelligence-reducing effect of Reaper tech."

"So they're having some problems with their upgrades," Bitters said thoughtfully, "See, this is why you test things before you use them."

"We'll talk about it later," Ryan cut in, "Right now, we've got to take this base out."

The seven of them raced after the retreating Cerberus troops, eventually killing them outside of the armory.

"Xin," Ryan said, "See if there's anything in there that's better than a pistol for you."

Xin nodded and entered the armory. A few moments later, he emerged toting a rocket launcher, cackling madly.

"Xin has rocket launcher! Xin have fun now!"

As soon as he said that, more Cerberus forces arrived. Still giggling like a lunatic, Xin fired his new weapon, the rocket exploding in the center of the enemy squad. The explosion rocked the hallway, turning all but two of them into paste and scraps of armor. The survivors were quickly gunned down by the Blades.

"I can see why you wanted a rocket launcher," Bitters commented.

"Yes. Xin make Cerberus go boom!"

"Nice work," Ryan said, clapping the Vorcha on the shoulder, then turned to Wek. "How far is the main control room?"

"Not far. About five minutes, not counting time spent fighting Cerberus."

At those words, the sound of stomping could be heard. Something was headed their way, and it was very, very large. That something turned out to be a large exoskeleton armed with a large claw on one arm, an oversized cannon on the other. In the center of the mech, protected by orange-tinted, transparent plating, was a Cerberus soldier.

"What the hell is that?" Ryan asked, even as he opened fire.

"ATLAS mech," Soleis said tersely, her two blaster pistols not doing much to the mech, "It's old Alliance tech that got shelved decades ago. Between this and those Mattock rifles they're using, it's a wonder Cerberus has everyone scared; all their tech is obsolete!"

"It's got thick armor, you have to give 'em that," Tanith commented, watching wide-eyed as a high-powered shot from Sera and a rocket from Xin only made the mech stagger.

"We'll see about that," Wek said as he aimed his sniper rifle, set it to 'anti-armor' and fired. The high-powered bolt punched a hole straight through the orange front, drilling into the pilot's head and killing him instantly.

Soleis turned to stare at Wek, who was now nonchalantly resting his rifle on his shoulder. "That was… awesome!"

Wek started walking, a bit of a swagger in his step. "Hey, when you're good, you're good."

Ryan decided to deflate his friend's ego a bit. "You're a good _sniper, _Blade Three. You're still the worst hand-to-hand fighter on the team."

At those words, Wek sagged, but Soleis' genuine laughter seemed to make him perk up a bit.

…

The rest of the base had few Cerberus troops left. Trench reported in to say that the coalition forces were only encountering token resistance now, but another five of their own soldiers were dead, and most of the rest had at least one injury.

With the base almost cleared, Ryan had the remaining soldiers meet the Blades outside of the control room. Bitters spent a few minutes patching up a handful of men and women, while the Vorcha happily reunited with Xin.

"Glad Xin still alive," one Vorcha said, "Xin make us strong."

Xin shook his spiked head. "Xin want to stay with Outcast Blades. Blades saved Xin. Now Xin owe them life."

The other Vorcha blinked their beady red eyes at each other, then shrugged.

"That Xin's choice. Xin kill Cerberus and Reapers for Vorcha killed by Cerberus?"

Xin nodded eagerly. "Happy to do that."

The other Vorcha grinned maliciously.

"Hey, Xin!" Ryan called out, "Want to do the honors and open the door?"

In response, Xin lifted his rocket launcher.

"Oh, fierfek," Ryan swore, "Get down!"

Everyone hit the floor as Xin fired; the rocket blew the door into metal splinters. Trench glared at the Vorcha.

"You could have just opened it!" he shouted, "It wasn't locked!"

"Oops," Xin said, but didn't look the least bit sorry.

"Figures you had to rescue a psychopath," Trench muttered to Ryan.

Bitters laughed. "I don't know, I kind of like him."

"You would, you lunatic," Wek accused.

The control room only had a few Cerberus technicians inside, but oddly enough, they weren't implanted with Reaper technology. Perhaps Cerberus wanted its scientists' minds to be unimpaired.

"Blade Three, get on that computer!" Ryan barked as the Blades, Xin and a handful of coalition troops secured the room. It was fairly standard, but it had a large window on one side, overlooking a large cage inside the center of the base. Whatever was in the cage was moving, but they didn't have a good view.

"Okay, I've got good news and bad news," Wek reported, "The good news is that I've got a ton of intel on Cerberus activities. This'll really help us."

"Okay, I'll bite," Ryan sighed, "What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that Cerberus was trying to do more than experiment on Vorcha. They captured a Thresher Maw, and were trying to find a way to control it."

"That's… really, really bad," Soleis said numbly.

Wek tapped away at the computer again, and his blue skin turned to a much lighter shade. "Uh, looks like the bad news keeps on coming. Cerberus set the Maw's cage to open as soon as someone accessed their files. They must have known we would win."

"Wait… you just accessed the files," Ryan said slowly, "That means… oh, dammit."

With a deafening roar, the entire control room shook from a massive impact. Ryan spotted a brief flash of brownish-green carapace as it tunneled upwards, ripping the room from the rest of the base. The control room fell into the open courtyard, taking the Blades, Xin and the other soldiers with it.

They landed painfully, but could still move. They scrambled out of the wreckage and saw the giant wormlike creature, its head raised above them.

"Um, anyone have any ideas?" Ryan asked.

"Don't get eaten?" Soleis offered.

"Die, Maw!" Xin fired his rocket launcher, hitting the Thresher Maw in the face.

The colossal monster roared, more in anger than in pain, then burrowed underground like the stone was water.

"Don't bunch up," Ryan ordered, "We can't give that thing a large target."

Then, the ground shook, and the Maw burst upwards. It spotted a Turian in the open and spat a glob of green acid. It only grazed the Turian's arm, but the acid was strong enough to reduce it to a mere stump.

"Fierfek," Bitters whispered, "I do _not _want to get hit by that stuff."

"Agreed," Sera said, opening fire with her cannon and blowing off a large chunk of the Maw's carapace.

The Maw screamed, then dove forward, slithering across the ground at a speed that belied its bulk. For Ryan, everything seemed to freeze; for a split second, he saw everything with perfect clarity. Then he moved. The world seemed to pass in a blur as he tackled into Bitters. The medic stumbled into Sera, the two of them now pushed out of the way.

Unfortunately, that left Ryan right in the path of the Maw.

Everyone watched, horrified, as the Thresher Maw's jaws closed around the Human, then tossed him into the air. They all heard a brief scream as Ryan fell into the Maw's gullet, which was then cut off.

"NO!" Tanith screamed, then fired every mini-rocket she had at the Maw. Her attacks were joined by the other Blades, Xin, the Turians and Humans, everyone who had a gun.

Thresher Maws were tough, but between high-powered blasters, rockets and an unrelenting storm of bullets—most of which were aimed at the weak-spot created by Sera—the giant creature fell. It was will alive, which was why Tanith ran up to it, her scattergun fully charged, and fired point-blank into its eye. The shot blew apart its brain, killing it instantly, but no one seemed to care.

Tanith sank to her knees, ripped off her helmet and began to sob. "No, no, no! Ryan… I…"

The other Blades looked close to tears themselves; even Soleis, who had only been a part of the team for a short time, looked stricken.

Xin was raging, slicing his claws against the Maw's thick hide. He had sworn his life to the Blades, and in only a few minutes, one of them was dead. In his mind, _he _should have died, not Ryan.

"Hold up!" one of the Turians shouted, "That thing is still moving!"

He was right. The side of the Thresher Maw was bulging, as if something was pushing outwards. Then, with the sound of tearing flesh, a sword ripped a hole from the inside. That sword then dragged across in a horizontal line, opening up a wide hole. Everyone stared in disbelief as a gore-drenched figure flopped out of the Maw, his sword clattering to his side.

"Hey, guys," Ryan said, weakly raising his head, then letting it fall back down.

Trench said the first thing on his mind. "Mazel Tov, it's a boy!"

That set off the rest of the Humans and the Turians who understood the joke. While they laughed themselves silly, Tanith dashed over to Ryan, cradling his head on her lap.

"Ryan, are you—"

"I'm fine," Ryan said weakly, "Gotta say, though, that that was the most disgusting thing that I have ever seen. Oh, and I think some acid got on me. My skin is burning."

Bitters quickly scanned him. "There's no damage to the _beskar _plates, but the mesh got some acid on it and it's burning through. We need to get you to the ship ASAP."

"I'll start fixing up your armor," Tanith offered, glad to have something normal to do to get her mind off of the fact that Ryan had just been eaten alive.

"One thing before we go," Ryan said, "Help me up."

Careful not to get any acid on her, Tanith helped Ryan to his feet. Ryan turned to face the dead Thresher Maw and kicked it as hard as he could.

"Okay, now we can go."

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

Ryan sat back on the cot in the infirmary, struggling to find a comfortable position, but his acid-burns itched and stung. After being taken to the _Desperate_ by Bitters and Tanith, his armor was removed and he was covered in bacta-gel bandages. While Bitters ran checks on Ryan's body, Tanith worked on replacing the mesh of Ryan's armor, as well as repainting the plates—the paint had been almost completely burned off. There was also some minor damage to Ryan's blasters, but Sera assured Ryan that she would repair them as soon as she, Wek and Soleis finished helping their allies in disabling the base's missile-based defenses.

What really annoyed Ryan was the damage to his coat. It wasn't too bad; the acid had only splattered the hemline. The result, however, was that the bottom edge was ragged, something that drove Ryan crazy whenever he saw it.

"I don't know," Tanith had said when Ryan complained about it, "I kind of like it. It'll make you look badass."

"I thought I was already badass?" Ryan had mock-pouted.

Tanith had smiled sweetly, and Ryan thought she was about to kiss him. Instead, she whipped out a spanner and cracked it against his head.

"What was that for!?"

"Never scare me like that again!" Tanith waved her spanner threateningly near Ryan's nose for emphasis.

"Yes, ma'am," Ryan said meekly, and had remained silent as his fiancé moved her work to the infirmary, humming softly as she repaired Ryan's armor, her head resting against his cot.

After an hour, the other Blades had returned, bearing good news, as well as Xin.

"We alerted the Turian ship that had dropped the Alliance and Turian forces off," Wek reported, "They'll be here in less than an hour."

"Good," Ryan said, "In the meantime, I want you and Soleis to go through that data you got, see what looks like a good target for us, and what would be better for the Alliance to go after."

"Got it. What about Sera?"

Ryan looked at the droid in question. "She's on maintenance duty today. If you need help, just send something my way. Bitters says that I'm not leaving this room for the next six hours."

Wek winced. "Yeesh, I wouldn't want to spend six hours in a room with that nutcase as my doctor."

"That's why _I'm _here," Tanith said from her spot on the floor, "If he tries replacing Ryan's legs or something, I have my spanner."

"It is good you are here to keep him in line," Sera commented.

Soleis, feeling more comfortable with her team, asked, "Who? Bitters, or Commander Ryan?"

The other Blades laughed, while Wek elbowed her playfully. It was only when Xin coughed loudly that they remembered that the Vorcha was there. Despite the near-constant twitching that plagued him, he could be almost unnoticeable when he wanted to be.

"Sorry about that, Xin, we didn't mean to ignore you," Ryan said, "Was there something you wanted?"

"Xin pledged life to Outcast Blades. Xin want to go with you."

The Blades looked at each other, then at Ryan. As the Commander, he had the final say on that sort of thing.

"I have two conditions," Ryan said after a moment, "First, we'll take you through our next mission, start to finish, and see how you work with us. Second, I need to make sure that your anger at Cerberus won't compromise us. If I give an order, even one you don't like, you have to follow it."

In response, Xin drew his pistol, which had Wek, Soleis and Sera reaching for their own, but stopped when Ryan shook his head.

Xin held the gun to his head. "Xin die before betrayal."

Ryan and Xin held each other's gaze for a few tense seconds, then Ryan nodded. "Okay. Bitters, I want you to find him somewhere to sleep—"

"Xin can stay in cargo bay?" the Vorcha suggested, "Xin not like small rooms. Reminds Xin of lab."

Ryan nodded. It made sense. "That's fair. Next time we go to the Citadel, we'll look into getting you some actual armor; until then, Wek, I want you working on another stealth-generator."

The Blades nodded and set about their tasks, but Sera remained. "Commander, we are receiving a transmission from Commander Shepard. It is text only. He is requesting our assistance at the Alliance colony of Eden Prime. Cerberus is there in force. Once they are taken care of, he asks that we remain with his team for a critical mission."

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Well, Xin needs his trial-run anyway.

"Set course for Eden Prime."

**And there it is, the introduction of the seventh member of the Outcast Blades, Xin! He's a bit unstable, but he's got an eye for tactics, something that just about every other Vorcha lacks. I hope you liked him, but he'll get more time to shine next chapter in case you wanted more.**

**On a side note, writing third-person dialogue makes my computer hate me. So many grammar mistakes.**

**Also, yeah, I brought Miranda back onto Shepard's team. I know a lot of people think Miranda is a bitch… and she is. Still, I liked using her in Mass Effect 2. Besides, Shepard needs more biotics on his team, especially since I didn't add Jack (I liked her as a teacher). You really can't go wrong with badass biotics.**

**Why are you wearing a piece of my armor?**

**No muffin available.**


	11. Burning Eden (Prime)

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME, BECAUSE IF THEY BETRAY ME, I CAN WRITE THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE… WOW, THAT BRINGS UP ALL KINDS OF EXISTENTIAL STUFF, DON'T IT?**

**First and foremost, I have something exciting to say: over 100 followers *does happy dance*! Thank you all! Every time you guys hit the favorite or follow button, I can't help but smile.**

**Second: you asked (or demanded) for it, here's the Eden Prime mission!**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 11

Burning Eden (Prime)

**Eden Prime**

After receiving the news about the Cerberus attack, the Outcast Blades had raced towards the planet, arriving just before the _Normandy_. For Shepard and his teammates who had worked with the Blades, it was a novel experience to get somewhere before the _Desperate Measures_, but the situation was too dire to tease them about it. Besides, they'd had a six-hour head start, so it wasn't really fair.

Thankfully, there was no antiaircraft fire as the _Desperate _and Shepard's shuttle landed at the outskirts of the colony, but both teams exited with weapons drawn, regardless. Just because they hadn't seen anyone waiting to ambush them didn't mean that there wasn't.

"LZ is clear!" Ryan announced after a moment, then nodded to Shepard. "Good to see you guys again. I see you got another member."

The Blades all glanced at Miranda, who nodded cordially at them; the former Cerberus operative had been informed of the original Blades' origins, and while it was astounding, she wasn't going to let it interfere in the mission.

"This is Miranda Lawson," Shepard said, "She's ex-Cerberus, but I trust her. Besides, her knowledge of Cerberus' tactics and resources will be invaluable."

In all honesty, Ryan had no right to be suspicious of Miranda; after all, he was an ex-Imperial, but no one gave him grief over it.

"And it looks like you guys got a new guy too," Garrus commented, "When did you guys get a Vorcha?"

"Earlier today, on Akuze," Ryan said as they all moved out, but noticed that Shepard, Garrus and Liara winced ever so slightly at the mention of the planet, "We helped out some Alliance and Turian soldiers who were pinned down by Cerberus. We took out the base there and rescued Xin—he's Blade Seven on the field, though this is more of a trial run."

"Xin have question," the Vorcha interjected, pointing at Miranda, "Why she look like metal lady?"

The other Blades looked from Miranda to EDI and realized that, indeed, from the neck down, the two women were identical.

"That's a good question," Soleis commented.

"The Illusive Bastard apparently built EDI's chassis from…" James snickered a little, "Miranda's _dimensions_."

Most of the Blades had to clamp down hard on the laughter that threatened to spill out. That was actually kind of funny, especially when they saw the mild glare that Miranda was sending EDI's way.

"Say, Commander Shepard," Wek said, after he suppressed his giggles, "What is Cerberus doing here? They aren't just here to take over the colony, are they?"

Liara was the one who answered. "It appears that Cerberus has uncovered a Prothean artifact of great importance. They've drafted a large number of colonists as a workforce, while the rest have formed a resistance."

"Our mission is to recover that artifact," Shepard said, then smirked, "Of course, if we destabilize Cerberus' efforts on this planet, that's just a bonus."

"Where are they primarily located?" Ryan asked.

Underneath his helmet, Shepard's smirk became a full-faced grin. "Right here."

As if on cue, a dozen Cerberus soldiers arrived on the scene and opened fire. Both teams took cover to assess the situation, but it appeared that Cerberus hadn't been expecting them; the white-armored troops seemed more uncertain than in previous encounters.

Deciding not to let them rally, Wek, Zaeed and Garrus began sniping away, killing a few troops that were exposed. The biotics on Shepard's team used their own abilities to injure or tie up several more. The confusion that caused gave everyone else time to get in close and finish them off.

"That was too easy," Miranda said, frowning thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I've noticed that these guys… well, they suck," Bitters commented.

"No, that's not what I mean," Miranda said, "Back when I was working with Cerberus, most of their operatives were trained and equipped to be on par with an N7, STG operative or even a Spectre. On top of that, there were never more than a few hundred operatives in the entire organization, and most of them were scientists, not soldiers, but from what I've heard, Cerberus now has an entire fleet."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me about that," Shepard said, "How could the Illusive Man have built up an army so quickly?"

"Clones, maybe?" Tanith offered, "Back in our galaxy, the Old Republic was able to make an entire army of clones to fight the Separatists. The Empire did the same thing, but their troops were pretty bad; it was quantity over quality."

"Perhaps Cerberus is following the same path as the Empire," Sera suggested, "Though the Reaper technology does not appear to augment their abilities in any way."

"I've been looking into that," Bitters said, "I think that the Illusive Man is only using the Reaper tech to make his troops loyal to him. I mean, really; how much sense does it make to attack people _now_?"

"Absolutely none," Shepard said, "Now let's go; we've got an artifact to find."

The rest of the way through the colony was tense. Every corner was checked twice, as was every rooftop. The winding and often enclosed areas were perfect for snipers and automated defenses, but when only the latter appeared once, it showed that Cerberus was definitely not expecting company. That fact gave them just enough of an excuse to relax, if only slightly.

"Hey, look at that," James said, gesturing to the distant forms of Prothean obelisks, dirty and unpowered, but still standing tall. "I didn't know that Eden Prime had that kind of Prothean stuff lying around."

"They didn't," Shepard said thoughtfully, "When the Geth attacked, the only Prothean artifact that I knew of was the beacon. Cerberus must have been busy."

"The Illusive Man always made acquiring Prothean artifacts a priority unless he said otherwise," Miranda commented, "But he never had Cerberus actually digging the relics up; usually, they were just stolen from someone who already had them."

"Looks like that's changed," Soleis said, "Still, I wonder how much of that work was done by the colonists that Cerberus has enslaved?"

"Probably all of it," Wek said darkly.

"Hey, Liara," Garrus said, his eyes glancing between the Prothean structures and the Asari in question, "When you were on your digs, did you ever find, what do Humans call them, a dinosaur?"

Liara shook her head. "No, I was an archaeologist; I studied civilizations many thousands of years old, while dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago… and you are joking, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little," Garrus admitted, "It's nice to know that you're not a _complete _cynic; I missed that naïve little Asari we found on Therum."

Liara blushed, which made Shepard and Ryan chuckle; the laughter soon died when they spotted a familiar, if not very liked, color-scheme as they rounded the next corner.

"There!" Liara shouted, pointing at a group of Cerberus soldiers ahead of them, who were guarding a strange pod, "That's the artifact!"

Behind his helmet, Ryan's eyes went wide at several fast-approaching objects. "Get down!"

Both teams hit the ground, just as the rockets flew overhead.

"Blade Lead, Blade Four and Six, engage in close-combat!" Shepard activated his Omni-blades and charged. "Everyone else, stick to small arms; don't risk the artifact!"

Using her biotics, Soleis hit the Cerberus troops first, her claws lashing out; the blows only killed one man, but the three others she hit were infected by fast-acting poison. A second later, Ryan, Bitters and Shepard hit the rest, their respective weapons flashing as they swung.

At first, Ryan thought they were just fighting normal Cerberus troops, with a few heavy weapons' specialists thrown in, but as he moved to slash one of the remaining enemies, he found his blade blocked by another sword. The sword was held by a woman, though her features were obscured by a helmet that covered every inch of skin and hair. Unlike most Cerberus troops, her armor was more of a white-and-black bodysuit, with light plates on the torso and legs.

"Watch out!" Miranda cried, "She's a Phantom!"

Ryan absorbed all of this in an instant, but was still surprised at the speed in which the Phantom swung her blade. It took all he had to lean back to avoid getting his throat slashed open. Just as he began to recover, the Phantom held out her free hand to show a glowing disk; said disk then fired a large slug that slammed into Ryan's chest, driving him back.

Ryan rolled into a ready position, scowling behind his helmet; he should have known that he'd end up facing someone in Cerberus who could actually fight worth a damn.

Then again, just because she _could _fight well didn't mean that he had to fight _fair_.

"Blade Seven, now!" Ryan shouted, then dove to the side.

"Xin make you go boom!" Xin shouted with glee and fired his rocket launcher, catching the Phantom in the chest; the resulting explosion scattered the immediate area with tiny, blackened pieces of what used to be a person.

As the teams regrouped, Wek gave Xin a light punch on the arm. "Nice shot."

Liara, however, was not as complimentary. "You could have hit the artifact!"

"Probably not," Garrus commented, "He was aiming so that his rocket would have impacted to the side. At worst, the artifact would have been shaken around a bit, and it's been sitting there for fifty thousand years; I'm sure it can take a little bit more abuse."

Ryan picked up the Phantom's sword, the only thing to survive the explosion, as Shepard, Miranda and Zaeed walked up to him.

"Whatever this artifact is," Miranda said, "The Illusive Man must really want it. Phantoms are some of his elite troops."

"Yeah, that one took me by surprise," Ryan said, tossing the sword away and glancing at the chipped paint of his armor. "Dammit, I just repainted this!"

"You needed to repaint the whole thing?" James asked, "What happened?"

"We were on Akuze and I got eaten by a Thresher Maw," Ryan said dismissively, though he smirked at the reactions coming from Shepard and his team.

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you," Miranda said slowly, "Did you just say that you were _eaten _by a Thresher Maw!?"

"He was," Bitters said, "Then he cut his way out with his sword."

EDI tilted her head. "I believe that the Human expression is 'holy shit'."

Zaeed looked at Ryan's _beskad_, which was being sheathed. "How the hell did you survive goddamn Maw acid?"

Ryan rapped his knuckles against his chest-plate. "_Beskar _armor. There isn't a whole lot in _our _galaxy that can damage it; a little acid isn't going to do much more than burn the paint… though my coat is another story."

James looked at the ragged edge of Ryan's coat. "I don't know, I think it looks kinda badass."

"See?" Tanith said smugly, "I told you so."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's just grab the artifact already."

"Shepard, Commander Nimbus!" Liara shouted, "You need to get over here!"

The two men headed over to the Asari, who was running her Omni-tool over the artifact, which looked like a casket made out of a glossy metal.

"What's the problem?" Shepard asked.

"We were mistaken about Cerberus' objective," Liara said, though her eyes blazed with excitement, "They weren't after a Prothean artifact.

"Inside this device… is a living Prothean."

Everyone stared; even those who weren't from this galaxy were stunned.

"But… the Protheans died out fifty thousand years ago," Ryan said, "How could anything survive that long?"

After the events on Mars, the Blades had begun learning more about this galaxy's history. Apparently, the Protheans had established an empire that stretched across most of the galaxy. Most of the Mass Effect technology was based off of Prothean designs, while the Protheans themselves were given the utmost respect; the Hanar, however, took this to an extreme, worshipping the Protheans as gods.

However, the Protheans' era came to an end fifty thousand years ago, mysteriously vanishing almost instantly. It wasn't until Shepard's first mission as a Spectre that it was discovered that the Reapers had been responsible, wiping the Protheans out while leaving only small scraps of their once-great civilization behind.

Despite the Reapers' efforts, they seemed to have missed one.

"What can you tell me about the Protheans?" Shepard asked, "The people, not the technology."

Liara tapped her chin for a moment as she collected her thoughts. "The Prothean Empire spanned the known galaxy. They uplifted countless species to help them join the galactic community."

"Do you think they had something like the Citadel?" Garrus asked.

"I believe so," Liara said, "Their cultural and artistic expressions are actually quite close to that of the ancient Asari. Given their similar interest in helping other species, it's clear that they believed in inter-species cooperation."

"From the way you describe them, they sound the Asari," Shepard commented, though his tone suggested heavy skepticism.

"They sound too goddamn good to be true," Zaeed added.

Ryan had to agree with the aging merc. It was impossible to think that every species the Protheans encountered wanted to be uplifted. What had happened to those species that refused the Protheans' 'generous offer'? In Ryan's mind, they probably weren't recorded in any fashion, even before the Reapers.

History is written by the victors, after all.

Liara either ignored Zaeed's comment or didn't hear, and instead stared at the container with the Prothean inside, eyes wide and the largest grin Shepard had ever seen on her face.

"This Prothean could be the foremost scientist, or the wisest councilor," she said breathlessly, "Think of what he could tell us!"

"Or he could be a janitor that just got lucky," Bitters said, ignoring the glare that the archaeologist-turned-Shadow-Broker sent his way.

"He does have a point," Shepard said, before Liara could start arguing, "We don't know anything about this Prothean until we wake him up."

Liara scanned the pod again and shook her head. "Cerberus damaged the lifepod when they excavated it. The life signs are unstable."

"All the more reason to get him out of there," Shepard said, but this time, it was Bitters who shook his head.

"No matter the physiology, getting forcibly ripped out of stasis is a really, _really _bad idea. The shock alone could kill him, and then there's the fact that this planet's ecosystem has changed. He might not have any resistance to new strains of airborne chemicals."

"Commanders," EDI said, getting their attention, "Cerberus has several labs nearby. If there is something that can be done to stabilize the Prothean, that is the best place to look."

"Sounds good, but we should have some people stay here and keep Cerberus from moving him," Shepard said, "Zaeed, James, Miranda, you three stay here. Liara, I'll need you and EDI to come with me; you'll have a better chance of finding what we need in the labs. Garrus, you cover our six."

"Blade Four, Five and Seven," Ryan said, "You three stay here as well. Blade Four, I want you to keep watch on the Prothean's vitals, while Blade Five and Blade Seven are on defense."

While the six people who would stay behind got into defensive positions, the rest of the two teams headed in the direction of the labs. It wasn't long before the eight of them were under fire from Cerberus snipers who had chosen to set up position further into the colony.

"Whoa!" Ryan ducked as a high-powered round whizzed overhead, "Blade Three, take 'em out!"

"Garrus, do your thing!" Shepard shouted half a second later.

Though the Cerberus snipers had the elevation, Garrus and Wek were disciplined and had better weapons. Garrus' Black Widow had been upgraded, only needing one shot from its three-shot clip to penetrate the shields, while Wek's rifle fired its standard shots—the blaster bolt was still strong enough to blow the head off of each target, not to mention completely ignored their shields.

"Fierfek," Tanith swore, "Have I mentioned that I hate fighting against snipers?"

"Only because you have no way to fight against them," Wek commented, then looked at Garrus. "Does that visor of yours help with aiming, or is it just for tactical information?"

"The latter," Garrus said, "I prefer to aim with my uncovered eye; that way, I don't have anything in my way when I'm lining up the shot. What about yours? I don't claim to be an expert on your galaxy's tech, but that doesn't look standard."

"It isn't," Wek admitted, "I made it myself. It gives me tactical data, but when I line it up to take a shot, the hologram deactivates. I designed it to do that when my face gets close enough to the scope."

"Clever," Garrus said, impressed, "I don't suppose you could send me some specs on that kind of thing?"

Wek looked over at Ryan, who gave a quick nod. "Sure, I'll send it to your Omni-tool once we're done here."

After their encounter with the snipers, the group moved more cautiously, but still urgently; if they didn't hurry, the Prothean could die. Along the way to the labs, they encountered more Cerberus troops, but Soleis stopped several of them with her toxic darts, then allowed Tanith to put them out of their misery with several blasts from her scattergun. The rest of the troops were killed by a barrage of gunfire, biotic strikes and tech attacks.

Once that was done, they discovered that the lab was actually divided into various segments; parts of it were used for storage, while other parts seemed to be for coordinating Cerberus' efforts across the colony. What annoyed everyone, however, was that the structure wasn't built by Cerberus; it had been someone's home, but Cerberus had forced them out or killed them and moved in.

"Blade Three," Ryan said, "Head for the tactical computers, see if there's any data we can send to either the Alliance or anyone who's still fighting against Cerberus here. Blade Six, cover him. Blade Two, start scanning any Cerberus tech for weaknesses, upgrades that the Alliance might find useful, you know the drill."

Shepard nodded at Ryan's line of thinking. "Garrus, go with Blade Two and cover her. EDI—you, Liara, Ryan and I will get what we need."

EDI's unrivalled infiltration of the Cerberus network allowed them to quickly find the computer they needed. It was guarded by a handful of soldiers and engineers, the latter of whom deployed small automated turrets.

Liara threw out a Singularity to disrupt the Cerberus troops' formation, while EDI hacked the turrets and turned them on the engineers. Ryan and Shepard idly picked off the floating soldiers, though Shepard used his biotics instead of his Revenant or Claymore.

"I don't want to waste the thermal clips," he explained, then turned to Liara, who was looking through various computer files.

"Here," she said, pointing at a screen, "This had footage of Prothean activity."

To Ryan, EDI and Liara, the screen showed only static, but all three of them were surprised when Shepard's eyes briefly flashed green.

Shepard shook his head. "That was… weird. Anyway, I've got the signal we need to end the stasis mode on the pod."

"How?" Ryan asked, "All you did was stare at static."

"You didn't see it?" Shepard frowned. "It was so vivid…"

"What did you see, Shepard?" Liara asked.

"I saw the fall of the Protheans," Shepard said slowly, "The Reapers were winning, but the Protheans had a plan. They were going to put a million people into stasis; once the Reapers left, they would rise again and rebuild."

Liara looked thoughtful. "I suppose that it makes sense that you would be able to see what we couldn't. When you combined your experience with the beacon with the Cipher, your brain adapted to allow you to comprehend information that only a Prothean could."

"Well, whatever the case, we still need to find out how to open the pod," Shepard said, "EDI, is there another terminal with Prothean data on it?"

"Yes, Commander. The next computer is in the next section of the building." EDI frowned. "There are many Cerberus troops waiting for us."

"Well, we're not going in there with just the four of us," Ryan said, then reached for his comms. "Blade Two, Blade Three, are you done? There's heavy resistance ahead, and we could use the support."

"_Just finished, Blade Lead," _Wek said, _"Blade Six and I are en route to you now."_

"_Me too," _Tanith said, _"Garrus and I should be there in a few seconds."_

"EDI, can you send me a three-dimensional blueprint of this building?" Shepard asked, "It might tip things in our favor."

"One moment, Commander," EDI said, then pointed her Omni-tool at Shepard's. "Transfer complete."

Shepard and Ryan studied the blueprints as the other four members of the group arrived.

"There," Ryan said, pointing at the blueprint, "Those windows are a huge weakness. Blade Three and Garrus could provide sniper support from the rooftop."

"How would we get there?" Garrus asked, "There aren't any stairs to the roof, and it would take too long to backtrack."

Ryan grinned, then stepped back. He pointed his left arm straight up and fired his thermal lance in a circular motion. A moment later, a disk of metal fell to the floor, the edge glowing orange.

Shepard nodded, warming up to the plan. "Liara, use your biotics to lift them to the roof. Once they're there, they can keep Cerberus pinned long enough for Blade Lead, Blade Two and Blade Six to cloak and get in close. EDI, Liara and I can mop up whoever's left."

As soon as Liara lifted the two snipers up, they moved out. Ryan, Tanith and Soleis activated their stealth-generators; a few seconds later, there was the distinctive _crack _as Garrus fired his Black Widow, followed by the soft whine of Wek's sniper rifle, followed by muffled screams of pain and curses.

"Go!" Ryan said into the comms as he rushed forward; he and the other Blades needed to get into better positions before attacking. In such close quarters, he didn't want to risk accidentally shooting an ally, so he steadied his two-handed grip on his carbine as he aimed it at a Cerberus officer. He couldn't see them, but he knew that Tanith and Soleis were carefully picking their own targets.

"Ryan," Shepard said over the comms, "Whenever you're ready."

Ryan's answer was to put a blaster bolt through the officer's skull, then quickly switched to an engineer, even as his cloak faded. Tanith had had her scattergun fully charged, so when she fired, her shot blew a fist-sized hole through her first target; the shot continued on and spread out, killing two more soldiers and seriously injuring a third. Soleis simply fired both of her blaster pistols in bursts, not aiming to kill, but to throw her targets off-balance.

The attack threw the surviving Cerberus troops into chaos. Some left cover, leaving them exposed to Garrus and Wek, while Shepard, Liara and EDI charged in, a combination of gunfire, biotics and tech attacks quickly killing the survivors.

"There's the computer, Shepard," Liara said, pointing at a terminal, "Hurry!"

While Shepard began staring at static again, Ryan called Wek and Garrus back down to their level, then contacted the teammates that had been guarding the Prothean.

"Blade Lead to team two, what's your status?"

A moment later, Miranda answered. _"Cerberus has launched several attacks, but we've held them back so far. No injuries to report. What's your status?"_

Ryan glanced at Shepard, who was still staring at the screen. "We're almost done, I think. Just hold on, we'll be there soon."

Shepard blinked and stepped away from the computer, shaking his head. "I think I have what we need."

"What did you see?" Garrus asked; even wearing his helmet, Shepard looked haunted.

"The Protheans were falling back," Shepard said, almost talking to himself, "The Reapers had broken through and were destroying the lifepods. When it cut out, they'd destroyed almost a third of them."

Ryan gave a low whistle. Three hundred thousand dead; of course, he knew that out of one million, only one would survive, but it was still a large number.

"Come on," Shepard said, "We have to get back to the others."

Cerberus certainly wasn't going to just let them walk back, however. As soon as they left the lab, half a dozen shuttles flew overhead, each one depositing a handful of troops. There were soldiers, some armed with rifles, others with shields, along with engineers and a pair of snipers.

"This might be a challenge," Liara said calmly.

"Not really," Ryan said, then aimed his right arm at the Cerberus troops, "Blades, mini-rockets!"

Ryan, Tanith and Wek unleashed a barrage of rockets; in just a few seconds, there were only a few soldiers, two engineers and a single sniper left.

"Take 'em out!" Shepard shouted, opening fire with his Revenant one-handed, while throwing a barrage of biotics with the other.

Garrus switched to his Phaeston rifle and separated one soldier from his leg, then shot an engineer in the chest. Liara ripped a man in half with her biotics, then fired her SMG into the sniper's torso. The shots brought down her shields, but didn't kill her; that was done by Wek, who put a bolt through her throat. Ryan, Tanith, Soleis and EDI simply gunned down the rest.

"Cerberus is bringing in everything they have in order to stop us," Liara said urgently, "We have to get back to the others!"

Shepard nodded. "Double-time it, people!"

There was only one more encounter with Cerberus on the way back—a pair of engineers with deployed turrets, accompanied by a handful of troops. EDI hacked the turrets but, like the rest of them, didn't slow down, simply blasting through anyone who got in their way, leaving dead and wounded Cerberus soldiers behind them.

"What took you so goddamn long!?" Zaeed demanded when they got back, "These bastards just keep coming! Hurry up and open the damn box so we can get the hell out of here!"

"It is good to see that you are all undamaged," Sera said, ignoring Zaeed's outburst.

"Likewise," Tanith said, briefly bumping her shoulder against the droid's.

"Xin make lots of Cerberus go boom!" Xin said gleefully, cradling his rocket launcher.

"Any funny kills?" Soleis asked.

"Yes! One Cerberus go up into air when Xin shot at his feet; he fall back down on top of other Cerberus and both die!"

Wek patted the Vorcha on the back. "Nicely done, Seven. I think you'll fit in just fine."

"Everyone get ready," Shepard said as he activated his Omni-tool, "I'm inputting the code. Cerberus is probably going to try one last time to get the Prothean."

Garrus nudged Miranda. "No issues about killing your old friends?"

For her part, Miranda smiled coldly. "I assure you, Garrus, after seeing what Cerberus has become, I have no issues. I much prefer less ugly company."

"But Zaeed is the exception, right?" James joked, only to get a rude hand gesture from the old man.

"Piss off."

"Incoming hostile forces!" EDI announced urgently.

"Shepard, how's it coming along?" Ryan asked, even as he and everyone else sought cover.

"The process is starting," Shepard said as he steadied his Revenant on a wall, "It'll take a few minutes, though."

"Of course it will," Zaeed said crossly, "Isn't that just goddamn typical?"

"Look at it this way, old man," James said, "Now you might be able to get a higher kill-count than me!"

"What drugs are you on? I've easily got five up on you."

"There they are!" Ryan shouted, "Light 'em up!"

The first wave of Cerberus troops was mostly soldiers with shields, but between Liara's Singularity, some thermal detonators and the snipers that fired through the vision-slit, they were taken down fairly quickly.

"Is this all you've been facing?" Ryan asked, "If so, I say that Cerberus' chances of winning this war are very, very slim."

Then a loud clanking sound was heard, and two ATLAS mechs stomped into view.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?" Bitters grumbled.

"They're firing rockets!" Shepard shouted when the ATLAS's aimed their cannons, "Everyone move!"

With a loud whoosh, two rockets flew out of the cannons, just as the two teams began to scatter. Thankfully, they managed to get out of the way…

Except for Miranda.

She was a single step away from making it to some cover, but it wasn't enough. The rocket landed near her, the explosion sending large chunks of shrapnel everywhere. Miranda was thrown into the air and landed next to Shepard. Her black bodysuit was torn, and blood was leaking out from the cuts; several more jagged gashes covered her face and neck. All of that was fairly superficial if treated fast enough.

The real issue was that Miranda's right leg was missing from halfway down the thigh.

"Medic!" Shepard cried out, immediately applying medi-gel to slow the bleeding, then cupped Miranda's face in his hands. "Miranda, can you hear me? Stay with me, damn it!"

"Move!" Bitters shoved Shepard aside and began applying his more efficient bacta-gel. "She's lost a lot of blood, but if we can get her to the _Desperate_, I might be able to save her."

"Do it!" Ryan barked, having overheard the exchange, "Blade Two, go with him!"

Ignoring the blood that splashed over his armor, Bitters picked up Miranda as if she weighed nothing and hurried towards the ship, Tanith hot on his heels.

Furious, the others opened fire with everything they had. The first ATLAS was hit with so much firepower that it was practically disintegrated.

"You hurt pretty lady!" Xin roared, aiming at the second mech, "Xin make you die!"

The Vorcha fired a barrage of rockets and didn't let up until he ran out of power cells. When the ATLAS still stood, Xin hooked his launcher onto his back, then drew the compact blaster rifle that he'd taken from the Blades' armory. It wasn't like Ryan's carbine; it had a stock and had slightly longer range, at the price of being heavier. The biggest upside was that it had been modified to fire slower-moving bolts, doing more damage to the inside of the target.

Xin raced towards the ATLAS, ducked under its swiping claw, then clambered onto its back. He aimed his rifle at the top of the mech and fired, holding one claw down on the trigger. He kept firing long after the shots had penetrated the hull and through the pilot. He didn't get off until he'd gone through the entire power-pack.

When he got down, he saw the remaining Blades and Shepard's team staring at him. At first, he was worried that they disapproved, but then he relaxed when he saw Ryan nod.

"Nice work," he said, "Now get back over here, you kriffing psychopath."

Zaeed couldn't hide a smirk as he gave a low whistle. "Damn, remind me never to make that Vorcha pissed off."

"Never make that Vorcha pissed off," James said, earning himself another rude hand gesture.

"Ryan, can you ask Blade Four about Miranda?" Shepard asked quietly.

Ryan nodded, then reached for his comms. "Blade Two, is Blade Four busy? What's Miranda's situation?"

It took a moment for Tanith to reply. _"Blade Four managed to stop the bleeding, and she's now covered in bacta-gel. It looks like she'll pull through. I'm working on preparing her new leg."_

Ryan relayed the message to Shepard, who looked relieved.

"Thank god," Shepard sighed, "I hate losing people. I don't want to lose another."

"I know the feeling," Ryan said, then changed the subject. "Now then, let's see how our frozen friend is doing, shall we?"

The two teams, now more relaxed after being told that Miranda would survive, turned to see the lifepod begin to open with a hiss. Inside, Ryan got his first glimpse at a Prothean.

He was… interesting-looking, to say the least. He was mostly covered in glossy, blood-red armor, the only exposed parts being his neck and head. His head was large and wide, slightly pointed at the top and covered in a ridged carapace. His bluish-white skin was soft, with six nostrils just below where his crest was, while his four yellow eyes each had two black pupils that were connected to each other.

He stumbled out of the pod and weakly held a three-fingered hand to his head.

"Be careful," Liara warned, "It's been fifty thousand years for us, but to him, he was fighting the Reapers this morning."

Taking that into consideration, Shepard approached the Prothean carefully, but before he got within reach, they were all shoved back by a biotic blast. Thankfully, it was weak, and the effort drove the Prothean to his knees. It was then that he saw the Prothean ruins in the distance, and he stared at them in slack-jawed horror. Shepard slowly put a hand on the Prothean's shoulder; the Prothean responded by grabbing Shepard's wrist, and the two stared at each other.

"What Prothean doing?" Xin hissed, not quite aiming his blaster at the Prothean.

"I don't know," Liara admitted, "But I do not believe that Shepard is in any danger."

"He better not be," Garrus said darkly, "I've had enough friends get hurt today."

After only a few seconds, Shepard and the Prothean separated. Then the Prothean spoke in a deep, double-toned voice.

"How many others survived?"

Shepard shook his head. "Only you. I'm sorry."

The Prothean sighed. Ryan took the chance to step forward.

"How can you suddenly speak Talvi—er, English?" he said, almost saying 'Talviran'.

"I have read this one's physiology, his nervous system. Enough to understand your language."

"So… what _I _saw…" Shepard said slowly. He would later tell the others that he had seen the Protheans' last moments, that this one was the only one spared because the others had been shut down to ensure his survival.

"Our last moments," the Prothean said grimly, "Our failure."

"Your people did everything they could," Shepard said, "They never gave up. And I could use some of that commitment now."

"_Hey guys," _Cortez's voice came in over the comms, _"I've got a lot of Cerberus signals coming in fast. We need to be out of here in the next five minutes, or we won't leave at all."_

The Prothean looked around at the various people around him. "Human. Asari. Turian. Vorcha…" he looked at Wek curiously. "I do not even know what you are… I am surrounded by primitives."

"I do not like him," Sera said over the comms, a touch of irritation in her normally emotionless voice.

"Yeah, I got the same feeling," Soleis agreed; the other Blades nodded.

"It's not safe here," Shepard said, "Will you join us?"

"You fight the Reapers?" the Prothean asked, almost as if he couldn't believe that they would even try.

"We're not fighting them," Ryan said with a grim smile, even if no one could see it behind his helmet, "We're _killing _them."

The Prothean tilted his head. "Then we shall see."

Shepard held out his hand for the Prothean to shake, but the lone survivor only stared at it for a moment, then returned to the pod to pull out a strange rifle and a metallic shard.

"You get to take Mr. Personality," Ryan said, then turned around, the other Blades right behind him. "We'll meet up with you guys back on the Citadel. Hopefully, Miranda will have recovered enough to give her back to you."

Shepard nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it; after all, Admiral Hackett is the one paying us."

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_**, en route to the Citadel**

Miranda had recovered faster than anticipated, most likely due to her extensive genetic modifications. She was still weak from blood-loss, but Bitters had injected her with several stims that would boost blood-replication, and had hooked her up to an IV drip.

While Miranda had always considered her pale skin to be one of her many useful assets, she found herself regretting it now. The scars across her body, including her face—there was one long scar that began at her left temple, crossed the bridge of her nose and ended in the middle of her right jaw, while another went from right in front of her left ear, across her cheekbone and ended at the edge of her nose—were red and angry, easily standing out. When she looked in a mirror, she hadn't even recognized the woman she saw, but she found out that she would have to get used to it; upon examining her genetics, Bitters had discovered that Miranda did not react well to bacta. It had saved her life, but her scars would never completely fade. On top of that, the explosion had burned away a good chunk of her hair; Tanith had graciously offered to cut it, and Miranda's raven hair now ended just past her jawline, when it had once reached past her shoulders.

The worst part, however, was her leg. Miranda had nearly vomited when she saw the stump of what used to be a flawless, eye-catching limb. The shock had quickly morphed into despair; how could she fight with only one leg? How could she protect her sister? Prosthetics were a possibility, but even with Commander Shepard's resources—and she knew that he'd go that far, because that was the kind of person he was—combat-level replacement limbs were going to be rare in this war.

Her depression hadn't lasted too long, because Bitters had said that he and Tanith were working on a new leg for her, and it would be ready by the time they reached the Citadel.

"We've got the basic structure all ready to go," Tanith had said, while Bitters attached the metallic disk that would link Miranda's stump to her new limb, "We just need to shape the outer plates to match your other leg."

Miranda had been touched by the generosity. "Thank you."

"Don't sweat it," Tanith said with a smile, "I'm just glad that we're getting some use out of these parts. They've been sitting here, collecting dust for years!"

"Hey, I figured that with the kind of missions we went on, more of us would come back missing a few pieces!" Bitters had protested.

After the disk had been attached, Miranda was left to rest. Bitters kept an eye on her, while the other Blades spoke to their newest member.

"You did good work out there, Xin," Ryan said, "According to Sera, you had almost as high a kill-count as her, and it's her _job _to wipe out a lot of guys."

"Xin pass test?" Xin asked, "Xin now Outcast Blade?"

Ryan grinned and held out a _beskar _dagger. "Consider this your official badge of membership. Of course, when we get to the Citadel, we're going to have to get you some real armor; that junk you're wearing now just won't cut it."

Xin looked down at the scraps of Cerberus armor that he was wearing. "Xin need better gear. This gear crap."

"Glad you agree," Ryan said, then addressed all of the Blades. "We should be at the Citadel in a couple of hours, so get some rest. Tanith, how's Miranda's leg coming?"

"Almost done," Tanith said, always happy to build things, "Once Bitters and I get it attached, I'll have to make some adjustments to account for her normal gait, but the big parts are finished."

"Good," Ryan said, then stood up. "Now then, I have to make a call; I'm sure Shepard is worried sick about Miranda, and I don't want the guy to be more stressed than he already is."

The Blades shared a quick laugh, then left to get out of their armor. It had been a long day, and two stressful missions were starting to get to them.

…

"_And you're sure she's okay?" _Shepard asked over the holocom.

"Yes, for the tenth time," Ryan, now clad in his civilian clothes, said, rolling his eyes, "Tanith and Bitters should be attaching the new leg within the hour. She has a few scars… well, okay, quite a few, but she'll live to fight another day, I promise."

Shepard's hologram sighed in relief. _"Thanks. We should be at the Citadel in about five hours, we can pick her up there."_

Ryan checked his chronometer. "Okay, that'll give Miranda time to work out any kinks in her leg before she parts company with us. So, can I ask a few questions now, or do you want to pester me for the same damn answer again?"

"_Sorry, sorry, go ahead."_

"What have you found out about that Prothean?" with all that had been happening with Miranda, Ryan hadn't thought about the person they'd been sent to find, but now he had a chance.

"_Well, his name is Javik," _Shepard said, _"He's the avatar of his people's vengeance, sworn to destroy the Reapers, or die trying. I figure that he'll be an asset to the team. However, we found out some things about Prothean culture that made Liara… disappointed, to say the least."_

"Let me guess," Ryan said cynically, "The Protheans weren't the benevolent good-guys that everyone thought?"

"_Understatement of the year. The Protheans forced other races to join their empire. If they resisted, they were either destroyed or enslaved. I gotta tell you, this guy might be a powerful soldier, but he is one _arrogant _son of a bitch. I don't think he can accept that most of the galaxy has grown to the point that we might be able to do what his people couldn't: destroy the Reapers."_

"I'll be sure to tell my team not to hit him," Ryan smirked, "At least, not when we're on a mission."

"_Then you'll be doing better than Zaeed," _Shepard said ruefully, _"He's already threatened to beat Javik to death with his own arm if he calls Humans 'filthy apes' again."_

Ryan suddenly got an idea. "Maybe he just needs some humility. Tell him about the galaxy I'm from, and how just _seven _of our ships killed over a hundred Reapers at Earth."

Shepard grinned. _"I might just do that. It'll show him that the Protheans were never the biggest kid on the playground. See you in a few hours, Ryan."_

With that, the call ended. Ryan leaned back on his chair and sighed, idly scratching the bandages that lay over his mostly-healed burns. By tomorrow, they would be gone, but he'd still aggravated them during the mission on Eden Prime, and they itched like hell.

With a grunt, Ryan stood up. "Might as well see if Tanith and Bitters need an extra pair of hands with Miranda…"

…

**The Citadel**

Several hours later, most of the Blades were waiting at the _Desperate_'s docking cradle, only feeling slightly impatient when they finally saw the _Normandy _arrive at the dock next to theirs. The only Blades missing were Bitters and Xin; the medic had dragged the Vorcha off to buy some decent armor.

"Stop fidgeting," scolded Tanith, making Miranda jump, "You keep poking it like it's going to eat you or something."

Miranda bit her lip as she examined her new leg again. It was silver, much like EDI's chassis, and was advanced enough to have working toes, something that prosthetics in this galaxy usually ignored. She couldn't feel anything in the leg, save for impacts that vibrated up the limb, but she was getting used to it fairly quickly. She only walked with a slight limp at the moment, something that Bitters said would fade in another day or two.

Her leg wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. Her bodysuit had been shredded in the explosion, and the rest had had to be cut away, leaving Tanith to lend her a pair of gray shorts and shirt. Out of everything that she'd come onto the _Desperate Measures _with, the only thing that had survived was her Omni-tool.

And when she wasn't getting used to her new limb, she had been very busy with her Omni-tool.

"Here they come," Ryan said, gesturing with his chin at Shepard's team. Miranda's eyes went wide at the sight of the Prothean—Javik, she had to remind herself—but he only gave her a passing glance before moving towards the inner part of the Citadel.

"You go catch up," Wek said to Miranda, "We've got some stuff to do, but if you need anything, just call. You have our frequency."

"Just follow the directions on maintaining that leg," Tanith said cheerfully, handing her a datapad, "Don't ruin it though, or I'll beat you over the head with it."

Something told Miranda that Tanith wasn't joking, but she waved goodbye to the Outcast Blades as they left to do their own thing.

Shepard had been the first one to react, practically sprinting forward to give her a relieved hug, something she returned. She had come close to death before, plenty of times, but never this… changed.

"Miranda!" James said happily, "How are you feeling?"

"You really need to ask that?" Zaeed scoffed, "She lost a goddamn leg!"

"I've been better," Miranda admitted, but walked towards her team on steady legs, "But I should be ready for active duty in four days."

"Four days?" Garrus repeated, surprised, "I figured that, other than the leg, you'd be up and about in half that time."

"Oh, I will be," Miranda assured them, "I just need the extra time to work on something for the next time I go into battle."

"New armor?" Shepard guessed.

Miranda nodded. "It might not be as attractive as my usual suits, but after today…"

"Function over fashion, right?" Shepard finished with an understanding smile.

Miranda smiled, but unlike her usual superior smirk, or even her rare, genuine smile, this had a pinch of feral aggression behind it.

"More like _destruction _over fashion…"

…

**Unknown Location**

"Can you feel it?"

"Of course."

"It's time to move, isn't it?"

"If we want to save them, then yes. It's time we returned to this war."

**So, yeah… you weren't expecting that to happen to Miranda, did you? If that upset you, I apologize, but I was struck by inspiration while writing this (and possibly a rock… in the head) and I decided to run with it.**

**See, Miranda? This is why you should wear actual freaking armor, not that skintight suit. How did that thing even fit in shields?**

**Anyway, this was Xin's trial run, and I thought I'd give him a completely in-character-for-his-species berserk moment. I hoped you liked it.**

**I know that Javik makes all of you annoyed; I feel the same way. However, I figured I'd let the utter smack-down of his superiority complex come later. Besides, the Blades were too worried about an ally almost dying to put that jackass in his place.**

**I have to warn you: next chapter will see less of the Blades or Shepard's team, though we will see Xin and Miranda's new armor. On the other hand, old friends are coming back, and if you thought certain characters needed to get punched… well, it's coming.**

**How did you get three Muffin groups to team up against you?**

**It wasn't easy. I **_**really **_**had to work at it.**


	12. Where We Stand

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S BELONG TO ME BECAUSE I HAD CLONES OF THE BIG BAD WOLF EAT THEIR GRANDMOTHERS, AND THEY'LL ONLY BE SAVED IF THEY DO WHAT I SAY.**

**A long time ago, using an Xbox that died later, I saw a trio of certain Councilors and thought 'I don't like them'. Now, I've established two of those Councilors as, at the very least, allies. The third, however, is an easy target for me to vent my (and to an extent, everyone who has played Mass Effect) frustrations. I hope you enjoy this, it's been 12 chapters and three games coming.**

**Warning: this chapter gets a little dark. Nothing horrible, just a heads-up for those of weak constitution.**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 12

Where We Stand

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_**, Turian Space**

"Admiral, that last Reaper is heading for the Mass Relay."

M'zan crossed her arms, a small smile on her face. "Are we still in range?"

Gorch nodded. "Aye, Admiral; it'll stay that way for the next three minutes."

"Then why are you even talking about it?" M'zan asked, "Blow that piece of junk out of the sky."

The _Ren's Vengeance _shook briefly as her main turbolaser battery fired, shredding the fleeing Reaper into bits. M'zan looked at the sensor-readouts and happily noted that the largest pieces left of the once-mighty Reaper were no bigger than her.

"What are our casualties looking like?" she asked, only looking slightly nervous; she knew that there hadn't been anything reported to her during the skirmish, but someone could have missed something.

Gorch looked at a terminal. "All fighters and bombers are coming back, but a few are reporting damage. Repair teams on all ships are standing ready. The _Lucky Hand _says that their shields blew out, but the _Tides of Change _killed the offending Reaper before it could do any real damage. The _Hand _reports that their shield-generator should be repaired within the hour."

M'zan sighed in relief. The battle had been so fast that it could only be considered a skirmish, but Maverick had destroyed almost four-dozen Reapers in that time.

Since M'zan had pledged her ships to the growing coalition, Battlegroup Maverick had been operating in Turian space, trying to take some of the heat off of the Hierarchy's fleets by hitting Reapers hoping to flank the Turians. In the last two weeks alone, Maverick had a confirmed kill-count of two hundred and nineteen Sovereign-Class Reapers, along with three hundred and eighty-two Reaper Destroyers, giving the smallest force of ships in the galaxy the largest kill-count.

That wasn't to say that Maverick had come out completely unscarred. Two squadrons of X-Wings had taken losses last week and had had to be combined together to make a complete squadron, and every capital ship had taken a few hits at some point when their shields had gone down, though it often required dozens of Reapers firing at one target to do that. So far, no capital ship had taken serious damage, but their luck wouldn't hold out forever; at this point, the only hope the galaxy had was to finish the Crucible, or if reinforcements from the Galactic Alliance arrived en masse.

M'zan shook herself out of those thoughts. She had to keep believing that they would defeat the Reapers, or at least, her crew had to believe that _she _believed; more than once, M'zan had been the only one to think that they would pull through, and that resolve had spurred her people on to victory time and again. This would be no different.

"Comms," she said calmly, "Has the Turian High Command sent us any more targets?"

The comms-officer shook his head. "At the moment, the main area of contention is Palaven, but they don't want us going near there right now; it looks like they're waiting for sufficient ground forces arrive before they attack."

"Well, hopefully that'll happen soon," M'zan muttered to herself; according to Ryan, the Outcast Blades would soon be accompanying Commander Shepard and his team to a meeting between the Turians, the Krogan and the Salarians, to get the Krogan to join the coalition. Once the Krogan were in the fight, they'd be able to push the Reapers off of Palaven, and that would be one step closer to liberating Earth.

"Admiral," the comms-officer said, "I'm getting something. It seems to be a message from an Asari mercenary named D'ranna; she says that she'd like to sign on with us to fight the Reapers."

M'zan tilted her head, confused. "Why would a single merc want to sign on with us, specifically?"

"It's not just one mercenary, ma'am," the officer said, "This D'ranna person claims to have an army of Asari Commandos, plus a few ships. She says, and I quote, 'I'd rather work with guys who actually have a snowball's chance in hell against the Reapers, instead of a bunch of Turians with sticks up their asses'."

M'zan chuckled, though whether it was at the mercenary's attitude or the coarse language wasn't certain.

"All right, let's see what her rates will be; maybe she'll be less irritating than that last group."

It was no secret that the Asari Republics had distanced themselves from the rest of the coalition, though rumors had been spreading that Councilor Tevos was the one who was ordering the Asari military from entering the war, overriding the Matriarchs. All Councilors had that power over their respective governments, but it was rarely exercised; abusing it often led to losing the position. Tevos, however, seemed to have dirt on almost every major Asari player and was blackmailing anyone who wanted to send significant support to the coalition. Thus far, only a few mercenary bands or those who just didn't care what Tevos did to them joined the coalition, where they were welcomed with open arms.

The comms-officer gave an incredulous laugh. "Ma'am, D'ranna says that her company will work for one hundred thousand credits a month; she says that they're worth it."

"Good thing we're not paying," M'zan replied, leaning back in her chair, "Admiral Hackett will be annoyed, though."

Most of the mercenaries, Asari or otherwise, had wanted to serve under M'zan directly, but nearly every one of them was trained for ground-combat, while Maverick was purely space-based. She had handed the mercenaries over to the Alliance, much to both parties' chagrin. Mercs weren't trusted, and the mercs didn't like any sort of government.

In this case, however, there were troops _and _ships to consider, and having troops experienced in combat in _this _galaxy would be a boon. Still, something about this D'ranna rubbed her the wrong way. It made her wish for a Jedi, or at the very least, Ryan; a Jedi could sniff out treachery easily, and Ryan's instincts were usually correct.

It also didn't help that she missed both Force Team and the Blades terribly. Neither team had stayed away from the battlegroup for longer than a week, usually, but it had been almost a month, and she could only have a few minutes to talk with the Blades, while Force Team was still who-knew-where.

She decided to take a gamble. "Tell her to meet us at the Turian Ninth Fleet's location; it's got enough security, and the Turians like us enough to back us up if we need it."

Just because she was going to meet D'ranna in person didn't mean that she'd go in unprepared; M'zan was brave, not stupid, and she rarely took things at face value.

"Aye, ma'am," the navigations-officer said, "Plotting course now. We should arrive in two hours."

_Of all the times for Force Team to disappear,_ M'zan thought sourly, _it had to be now, didn't it?_

…

**The Citadel**

"Are you sure this is what you want, Xin?" Ryan struggled to keep a smile off his face.

"Xin like this armor," the Vorcha said, "has more room for ammo for rocket launcher."

The armor that Xin had picked out was indeed suited for a heavy-weapons expert in this galaxy. It was made of simple, interlocking plates—specifically created with Vorcha anatomy in mind, though it had been difficult to find—and slightly enlarged shoulders. Nearly each section had a place for additional power cells, so unless Xin was going up against an army of ATLAS mechs, he wouldn't run out of rockets for any one mission.

The problem that Ryan had with Xin's armor wasn't so much the armor itself, but what the Vorcha had picked for the colors.

Yellow. Not even a dull yellow, like the mercenary group Eclipse, but bright, almost sparkling yellow that hurt Ryan's eyes if he looked at it for too long. On the center of the chestplate, in blood-red, a mushroom cloud had been stenciled out, at Xin's request, apparently.

Xin tilted his head. "You no like armor?"

"No, it's fine," Ryan said, "It just seems to stand out a little."

Xin pointed at Tanith, who was inspecting a holographic VI nearby. "Her armor bright blue."

Ryan opened his mouth to object, but found that he had no real counter to that.

"Okay, fine, you win. Go back to the ship and get your stuff squared away. While you're there, tell Wek to come outside for a while; he's been at his terminal for two days now."

Since their last mission, Wek had only stopped decoding the Cerberus data they'd obtained when he needed to eat or sleep, and usually only after Ryan, Sera and Soleis practically dragged him away.

Xin nodded. "Okay. Maybe Xin tell him that Turian girl misses him?"

There was a mischievous grin on the Vorcha's face, which was quickly matched by Ryan's own. "That'll work. If it doesn't, you have my permission to stun him and drag him outside."

Xin cackled and took off towards the _Desperate Measures_. Ryan heard a cough behind him and saw Tanith standing there, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"That was mean," Tanith said, "You know that Xin will stun him anyway."

Ryan kissed her on the cheek. "No, the _really _mean thing to do would have been to sic Sera on him."

"She'd probably welcome the distraction," Tanith said, looping her arm through Ryan's as the two walked together, "She keeps complaining about Asari flirting with her; the only reason that _she _isn't hiding on the ship is because you ordered her to be more social."

"You'd think they'd learn that she's a droid," Ryan mused, "Oh well, if her attitude is so Human that the Asari can't tell that she's not organic, I'd say she's doing well."

Tanith gently tweaked his ear. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Not getting shot at, and I get some time with you?" Ryan asked back, "Yeah, I'm enjoying this."

Tanith considered tweaking her fiancé's ear again, but decided against it when she realized that he had a point. It was rare for them to have any sort of time together like a normal couple; usually, they were either on a mission or had to sneak away some time to themselves on the ship. Times like this had to be treasured, even if they had to be in another galaxy.

Ryan saw Tanith huff resignedly and smiled. "I win."

Both the Human and the Mirialan were so caught up with each other; they didn't know that Bitters was right in front of them until they bumped into him.

"You know, if I was an assassin, you two would be dead right now," the medic commented.

"If you _were _an assassin, I wouldn't have you on my ship," Ryan shot back, "I needed a medic, remember?"

"I've forgotten more about Human and near-Human physiology than you will ever know," Bitters said, "Who says I can't be both?"

Not for the first time, Ryan and Tanith were reminded of how close Bitters was to being a homicidal maniac.

"Was there something you needed?" Tanith asked, moving the conversation to safer grounds.

"Not really," Bitters said, "I just found something kind of interesting."

"Is this something that I should be nervous about?" Ryan asked uncertainly.

Bitters shook his head. "No, don't worry about that. You remember about that plague I couldn't treat on Corulag?"

Ryan nodded. "You told me that you could have cured it, but the Empire didn't give you the supplies necessary to create a cure."

"Exactly. Well, I met a Drell earlier today; he's in the later stages of a disease called Kepral's Syndrome. It turns out that the disease is actually very similar to the plague I wanted to cure. I told that Drell that it was possible that, if I took Drell physiology into account, I might be able to save his life."

Ryan had never met a Drell before, but he was still shocked. "Are you sure that you can help him?"

Bitters gave a confident smile. "I'm not the type to give false hope. I said that the chances were good, and he said that even if it didn't work, he enjoyed testing possible cures… I think doctors amuse him for some reason."

Tanith stood on her toes to give the giant medic a friendly kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you offered to help like that."

Bitters laughed. "Hey, maybe if I find a cure, I'll start hanging around female Drell; I'll probably get more than a kiss!"

"If you get propositioned, I'll give you a thousand credits," Ryan said; knowing Bitters, Ryan would probably lose the bet, but seeing the man get publicly propositioned would be worth it.

Bitters only laughed again and headed towards the _Desperate _to begin working on a cure. Ryan felt a familiar weight on his shoulder and turned to see Tanith's head resting there.

"So far, this is looking like a good day," she said, then frowned. "Of course, that means that something horrible is going to happen, doesn't it?"

Ryan sighed. "You're probably right. We should enjoy the peace while we can."

Tanith smiled again, but this one was coy. "Well, I have a few ideas…"

She whispered in Ryan's ear for a few seconds; when she was done, they both walked quickly back to the ship.

There was a bottle of wine and an empty bed waiting in Ryan's quarters.

…

**The **_**Normandy**_

"Are you sure this will work, Miranda?" Shepard asked uncertainly, "I know you know what you're doing, but I've done my fair share of engineering and this suit seems… dodgy."

"I assure you, Commander," Miranda said archly, her scars only making her glare even more intimidating, "This design's capabilities in combat far outweigh any risks."

"Risks?" Shepard echoed, "Miranda, if the biotic amps that you have don't match up by even a fraction of what's needed with the extras in the suit, it's not just the left arm that will explode, your _head _will join it!"

"Which is precisely why I have asked EDI to check all the numbers and Garrus is on hand to do as many… calibrations as many times as necessary before I'll get inside this armor."

Shepard closed his eyes and sighed. "You got Garrus onboard just by mentioning calibrations, didn't you?"

Miranda smirked. "You know Garrus too well."

"I know _both _of you too well," Shepard corrected lightly, "You just used the calibrations thing, right? No… _other _methods of persuasion I should know about?"

Miranda had the good grace to look sheepish. During their mission together to stop the Collectors, the ex-Cerberus operative had tried to seduce Shepard, on the Illusive Man's orders. She had tried flirting, but Shepard, scarily perceptive as he was, saw through her and immediately shot her down. Between his ability to read people and his growing attraction to Tali, Miranda's 'assignment' never stood a chance.

As much as she hated rejection, however, she didn't feel all that bad that Shepard had spurned her advances. Maybe it was because she respected the man too much to put her all into seducing him—especially after Shepard had helped save her sister—or maybe it was because she honestly liked Tali and wanted to give the lonely Quarian a chance at happiness. Miranda was positive that Shepard had told Tali about what she'd tried to do, but the Quarian hadn't held it against her. In fact, the last time Miranda saw Tali, the younger woman had given her a friendly hug before saying goodbye.

"I… may have offered him a cup of coffee with me when he was done," Miranda admitted, "We have a decent amount of Turian-friendly coffee aboard, and Garrus wanted to discuss an ointment that worked well for treating his scars…"

Shepard smirked as Miranda trailed off. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Miranda had offered Garrus coffee for more than professional reasons. He'd never say it out loud, however; Miranda would probably deny it until she died, and then push Garrus away just to prove it, because that was the type of person Miranda was.

"Fine, bribe the poor man," Shepard joked, then became slightly more serious as he moved to the other side of the armor. "You super-genius or super-anal people can work on the detailed stuff; I'll take care of the hardware on this end. Do you still want the modular attachments?"

Miranda nodded, glad to be on task again. "Yes. I have training in most weaponry, but I preferred to use SMGs and pistols due to my…"

"Outfit that is most certainly _not _armor?" Shepard supplied.

"Right, that." Miranda scowled at Shepard's choice of words, but moved on. "With this, I can be properly equipped for almost any battleground."

"Except sniper rifles," Shepard noted.

"Correct; this is more suited to widespread attacks, not precision work. I'll leave that to Garrus and Zaeed. I did have a question about the shotguns, however—with the reinforcements and stabilizers, would the Claymore work?"

Shepard tapped his chin thoughtfully, his mind going a mile a minute. "Probably, but let me check the math with EDI first."

"Probably wise," Miranda said, "Out of everyone on the ship, she would be the best to check the math."

"She should, she was _made _from math," Shepard joked, getting a small, rare laugh from Miranda.

"_Commander," _Joker's voice echoed from the intercom, _"Admiral Hackett wants to speak to you… along with the Salarian Councilor."_

Shepard and Miranda shared a concerned glance; in the former's experience, having a Councilor call you was never a good sign.

"I'll finish things up here with Garrus and EDI," Miranda said, waving her Omni-tool over the nearly complete suit of armor.

"Right," Shepard said, stretching out a kink in his back, "I should go."

Shepard made his way to the comms, where the blue holograms of Hackett and Councilor Valern were waiting.

"Admiral, Councilor," Shepard said, saluting the former and nodding respectfully at the latter, "What seems to be the problem?"

"_I'm afraid we've got some bad news concerning two of our allies, Shepard," _Hackett said without preamble.

"Does this have anything to do with the meeting three days from now?" Shepard asked, concerned, "Are the Krogan backing out? Or are the Salarians?"

Hackett shook his head. _"Neither—thank goodness for small mercies. No, we've got a situation developing between our extra-galactic friends and the Asari."_

"What kind of situation?" Shepard felt something drop in his stomach.

"_STG was able to discover a transmission," _Valern said, _"Apparently, someone on the Citadel contacted someone else, we don't know who, to attack Battlegroup Maverick and steal their technology. The message was beyond just heavily encrypted, so we don't know much more than an attack _is _going to happen. I have STG working nonstop to give you more, but you'll need to move out quickly in order to stop the attack."_

"Why not just tell Admiral M'zan herself?" Shepard asked, "Or tip off the Outcast Blades; just putting them on alert could make things easier."

"_We can't do that, Shepard," _Hackett said, though his tone suggested that he was far from happy about saying it, _"Right now, the Galactic Alliance forces are our best asset; their efforts have freed up forces both on the ground and in space. It's thanks to them that the Reapers are acting cautious; they seem to be afraid of weapons that can kill them in a single shot._

"_The reason we can't tell them about the attack is because they're just starting to trust us. If we tell them that an attack is coming, an attack from within our own ranks, they'll keep us at arm's length, or maybe outright refuse to help us. Once we know more about the who and when, I'll call Admiral M'zan herself and warn her. Until then, stay on high alert and be ready to move out ASAP."_

Shepard saluted. "I understand, sir. However, I feel that I should at least give _some _kind of warning to the Outcast Blades; they're a much easier target than an entire battlegroup."

Hackett and Valern shared a quick glance.

"_If you think that's wise, Commander," _Valern said, _"In the meantime, I am diverting all available STG resources to finding out what is going on. I shall keep you updated."_

Shepard nodded respectfully, and meant it this time. Sure, the Salarians had pledged themselves to the coalition, but after years of denial and unhelpfulness, it was almost surreal to have one of the Councilors being helpful.

When the holograms cut out, Shepard dashed over to Liara's room, where she was sitting at her computer terminal, moping. She'd been like that for almost two days now, ever since she'd realized that Javik was the opposite of everything she'd hoped a Prothean would be. Oh well, maybe he could get her to snap out of it by working.

"Liara," he said in an urgent tone, something that made the Asari look up in alarm, "We've got a problem. Someone is going after Battlegroup Maverick, and maybe the Outcast Blades, but we don't know who or when."

Liara's fingers were already dancing across the holographic keyboard. "I'll divert as many resources as I can to find out. Mercenaries have been flocking to Maverick's banner recently; I'll start there."

"Good work," Shepard said, then raised his voice. "EDI, have everyone get ready to deploy; once that's done, you, me and Garrus are going to work like hell to get Miranda's armor up and running."

"_Understood, Commander," _the AI said over the intercom.

Shepard headed to his quarters, where he stored his armor and weapons—he never left them out where anyone could touch them if he could help it. Once he was sure that everything was laid out so that he could quickly arm and armor himself, he rushed back to the cargo bay, where he found EDI—in her body—already working, along with Garrus and, to Shepard's surprise, Javik.

The Prothean apparently saw the surprise in Shepard's expression, because he was soon explaining why he was helping.

"The Human, Miranda, showed me her blueprints for her armor. Her extra biotic amp is similar to something we Protheans used. I believe that I can create something like it with materials from this cycle."

_Translation,_ Shepard said in his mind, _I can make something that's close to the greatness that was Prothean technology, but I have to use secondhand parts._

Still, the Prothean's tone lacked the bite it once had when Javik had first come aboard the _Normandy_. Shepard had talked to the alien, tried to get him to come around using all the charisma he had, but it had been slow-going.

Until, that is, Shepard showed Javik the vids of Maverick absolutely _decimating _Reapers at Earth. He then went on to tell the Prothean about their friends from another galaxy, who had technology that left even Javik awestruck. The best part, however, was telling him that, technically, Maverick's tech was antiquated by their own standards; apparently, in the thirty years that they'd been away, Maverick's home galaxy had advanced by leaps and bounds. If and when the Galactic Alliance arrived, they'd probably have weapons that would be even more mindboggling.

At any rate, Javik had been less arrogant after that, though he was still a jackass; he seemed to think that if another galaxy was so much more advanced than the Protheans, he could still lord it over the people in this cycle, because the Protheans were still more advanced than the current cycle.

Shepard had been tempted to mention that, despite their 'superiority', the Protheans had still been wiped out, while the coalition was actually slowing down the Reapers' advance or outright stopping them, if Maverick was in the area. He didn't actually say it, though; he didn't want to alienate a powerful asset like Javik. Zaeed and James, not having the same level of restraint, had said it, which left Javik fuming; everyone else felt a little better, though.

Still, Javik was helping now; at the very least, that signified that he was willing to work with them.

It was a start.

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

"Just when I thought we were making some headway," Ryan muttered darkly, looking at the message on his Omni-tool, "Then this happens. Figures we'd get stabbed in the back."

"I just wished we knew who was doing the stabbing," Tanith growled as she lay next to him on the bed.

The two of them had only had an hour alone together when a message marked 'urgent' had flashed across Ryan's Omni-tool. It was a warning from Shepard that someone was going to make a move against Maverick, and possibly the Blades, but the who and when were unknown. Shepard promised to let the Blades know anything as soon as he found out for himself, but it was still worrying.

Ryan closed his eyes and sighed, then leaned back, his head hitting the pillow. Tanith, still covered only by the sheets, gently turned his face towards hers and pressed her forehead against his.

"You okay?" she asked.

Ryan, in a moment of weakness that people were lucky to see once in a lifetime, wrapped his arms around Tanith as tightly as he could manage.

"I remember the last time we went up against an enemy we knew nothing about," he admitted, "You almost died, I lost an eye…"

Tanith nodded. She remembered the mission on Naboo; something had bugged all of them about that mission, but none of them knew why until the Reapers—Moff Laar's forces, not the giant droids—attacked them. Tanith had been knocked out before the fighting really began, but the others had told her the story. The Blades, the clones they had been rescuing and the Jedi Maris Brood had been caught unawares by the well-trained and well-equipped Imperials, not to mention the cyborg called the Durasteel Demon, who had once been Grif, the only friend Ryan had had in the Empire. Some of the clones had died, and each of the Blades had been injured; most were superficial, but Tanith had had a nasty concussion and a broken arm, while Ryan had lost his right eye at the claws of the Durasteel Demon. If Force Team hadn't come along when they did, they would have died.

Ever since, Ryan had sworn to never get caught completely blind again, but now they were faced with another enemy that they knew nothing about.

"Ryan, look at me," Tanith cupped Ryan's face in her hands. "We're not completely in the dark anymore. We know an attack is coming, so it doesn't matter who comes after us; we'll manage, just like we always do."

Ryan smiled weakly, then rested his head against Tanith's bare shoulder for a few seconds. When he pulled back, he had returned to his confident, determined self.

"We need to get dressed," he said, reaching for his pants, but then stopped and activated his Omni-tool instead. "Attention, all Outcast Blades: if you're not on the ship now, get over here and get ready for combat. I'll fill you in once we're all assembled. Blade Lead, out."

Ryan had used his call-sign while not in his armor; that was the clearest sign that he was taking this threat seriously.

Someone had threatened his team, his friends—for lack of a better term, his _family_—and he didn't know where the threat was coming from. He was taking no chances, and if he got even the faintest hint of who was behind it all, he wouldn't hesitate to put them in the ground.

…

**Turian Ninth Fleet, Turian Space**

M'zan had waited patiently—for her, anyway—for the Asari mercenary to arrive. Rather than have the meeting take place on the _Ren's Vengeance_, where someone could get a peek at Maverick's technology, she'd arranged for them to be on a small repair-station that fleets of all races in this galaxy had in one form or another. That way, Maverick was secure, and it made the Turian soldiers nearby feel trusted.

Sometimes, M'zan wondered if she should have been a politician, but that idea was quickly dismissed when she remembered that she'd have to talk to people like Mon Mothma all the time. The thought nearly made her gag.

What also made her nearly gag was the protective nature of the squad of Maverick Marines that was her security detail. While she appreciated their loyalty, the way they hovered around her made her feel smothered.

"Ma'am," the squad leader said quietly, if urgently, "We're near the deadline. If this merc doesn't show up in the next thirty minutes, we move you back to the ship."

Not for the first time in the last hour, M'zan suppressed the urge to sigh. The squad leader, an attractive Human woman named Aurora, was one of the best marines in Maverick, as was her squad, which was why they were almost always M'zan's guards if the Outcast Blades or Force Team weren't around. However, her devotion to M'zan stretched into borderline fanaticism, and it could really grate on the Twi'lek's nerves.

"I know, Lieutenant," M'zan said through clenched teeth, "Believe me, I don't like being kept waiting, so if this D'ranna is a no-show, I'm going to be very annoyed. We could be doing something _useful_ right now, but _no_, we have to sit on our asses."

Aurora opened her mouth to say that she was more concerned about the Admiral's safety than her near-nonexistent reserves of patience, but decided to hold her tongue. The Admiral was at least willing to leave, so Aurora would count that as a win over the stubborn Twi'lek.

"_Admiral," _Gorch's voice came in over the comms, _"four Asari vessels just exited the Mass Relay and are headed here. The lead ship is heading for the docking cradle, while the other three are taking up positions nearby."_

"Understood," M'zan said casually, "are they powering up weapons?"

"_No, ma'am," _Gorch reported, _"I don't believe that they are a threat."_

"Good, let's keep it like that," M'zan said, leaning back in the chair she sat in.

On the far side of the station, the Maverick personnel could see a group of Asari, fifteen of them, headed their way. Their armor was jet-black, save for the left shoulder-plate, which was pure white. All of them were armed, but their weapons were attached to their hips or backs, which immediately made Aurora feel more secure; after all, her squad already had their weapons out, though not aimed at anything.

The lead Asari was the only one not wearing a helmet. Her skin was a deep, vibrant blue, with a red tattoo of a serpent crawling up her neck and ending at the center of her left cheek. She walked with a confident sway in her hips, as if she was convinced that nothing could touch her if she didn't want it to.

_I bet the slut lets lots of people touch her, _was Aurora's unbidden, and very bitter, thought. She blinked slowly, then let out a breath through her nose, pushing down any similar feelings that might arise.

"Admiral M'zan?" the Asari said in a low, yet musical voice.

"I am," the Admiral in question said, not getting up from her chair, much to Aurora's pleasure; if this meeting was happening, it would be on M'zan's terms.

The Asari nodded, then sat down on the chair opposite M'zan. "I'm Commander D'ranna. I'm glad that you were willing to meet me in person."

M'zan shrugged. "As much as I love my ship, even I need a change in scenery every now and then."

"I know the feeling," D'ranna said in a sympathetic voice, something that made Aurora want to shoot the bitch in the face, "I couldn't stay on Thessia all my life, and honestly, Asari space gets pretty boring after a few centuries. Aside from the pay, mercenary work lets me travel a lot."

"Speaking of pay," M'zan said, cutting to the chase, "Let's talk about your contract."

"Right, of course," D'ranna said, smiling, "I think we have a lot to talk about."

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

As soon as the Blades were all on the ship, they'd torn out of the Citadel as fast as they could. For now, they were just making short-range hyperspace-jumps, without any real destination in mind, just to throw off any potential pursuers. Once they were sure they weren't being followed, they would head to Maverick's location and tell M'zan about the impending attack personally; they didn't want to risk someone intercepting their communications.

During the first jump to hyperspace, Ryan and Tanith had taken everyone to the cargo bay and explained what had happened. When they finished, the other Blades looked grim.

"An attack by an unknown party at an unknown time," Wek said, absently polishing his sniper rifle for the tenth time in an hour, "I hate not knowing things."

"I hear you," Soleis said from her seat next to him, gently bumping her shoulder against his, "This is just going to get us wound up."

"We already are wound up," Bitters said from across the room, practicing his quick-draw.

"Which could hurt us in the long run," Ryan said, visibly forcing himself from pacing around the room. "Until we get more intel, we sleep in shifts. Three of us are on full alert, the other three sleep, eat, whatever. Sera, you're the only one who doesn't need any of that, so I want you ready at all times. Sorry."

Sera only nodded. "No apologies necessary, Commander."

"All right," Ryan continued, "first shift is me, Bitters and Xin. Tanith, Wek, Soleis: get some rest, try to relax, you're shift starts in—"

"Uh, Commander?" Wek interrupted, drawing all eyes to him, but he didn't notice; his attention was focused on his beeping Omni-tool. "Sorry, but we're getting a transmission from… huh."

"From who?" Ryan asked.

Wek looked up and gave a wide smile. "It's from Force Team."

The Blades nearly collided into each other in their rush to get to the holocom. The original five Blades hadn't seen or heard from their friends in Force Team since the war began, and while they trusted that they would be all right, the lack of communication for so many weeks was worrying.

In his excitement, it took Ryan three tries to answer the incoming call, and when he did, he smiled at the hologram of Ahsoka Tano and Starkiller.

"Guys, it's been too long," Ryan said, and then his smile turned into a frown. "Now then… what the kriffing hell!? You disappear right in the middle of a war and we didn't even know what had happened to you—"

"_Ryan, shut up and listen," _Starkiller said in a low tone, the kind he only used when something really, really bad was going on.

Ahsoka took over in a gentler tone. _"I know that you guys were worried about us, and I'm sorry. Right now, though, we have a major problem: Admiral M'zan is in danger."_

For a moment, Ryan's blood turned to ice. "Specifics. _Now_."

"_We had a vision, a shared one," _Ahsoka said, _"We saw her getting attacked, but not by whom. That's not the point, however; the point is that the attack is going to happen sometime today, maybe even right now!"_

Ryan only looked over at Tanith, who nodded and sprinted for the cockpit to drop out of hyperspace and change course for Maverick's position. The Blades kept tabs on their friends' locations.

Ryan then turned to Wek. "Get Shepard. Explain fast."

Wek dashed towards his quarters, where a spare holocom was stored.

"Where are you right now?" Ryan asked Ahsoka, "We can give you Maverick's coordinates, maybe you can beat us there."

Ahsoka looked at something that the Blades couldn't see. _"We already know where they are. I don't think we can get there fast enough to stop it, but you might. We'll get there as fast as we can and back you up, however."_

Ryan nodded. "Fair enough. When this is over, however, you have some explaining to do."

"_Sure," _Starkiller said, _"The time for sneaking around is over for us, anyway. It's time to get back into the fight."_

"Glad to have you back," Ryan said, then gestured for the Blades still present to get their gear, "Tell General Kota I owe him an ass-kicking, by the way."

Both Jedi smirked.

"_I'd like to see that," _Starkiller said, before his and Ahsoka's expressions sobered. _"Good luck, guys."_

"_May the Force be with you," _Ahsoka added, before the connection was severed.

"I hope it is," Ryan muttered to himself, heading to the armory to pocket a few extra power-packs, just in case.

…

**Turian Ninth Fleet**

It happened so fast. Aurora wasn't Force-sensitive by any means, but years of soldiering had given her a sixth sense for danger. On instinct, she moved to shield the Admiral with her own body, while simultaneously raising her blaster rifle to kill D'ranna.

However, with a quickness that Aurora had only seen Jedi possess, D'ranna raised her arm, glowing with purple energy and sent a biotic blast right into Aurora's chest. The marine was yanked into the air, then slammed into the floor, hard enough to break her ribs.

The other marines began to act, but the Asari Commandos were faster. Gunshots rang out, catching the marines in their lightly-armored throats. Most were killed almost instantly, but one managed to fire his rifle once; the blaster bolt hit a Commando right between the eyes, killing her instantly. The marine had no chance to fire again, however; another Commando proceeded to rip his head off with her biotics.

M'zan was never one to hide behind her subordinates. As soon as D'ranna had moved, M'zan had begun to reach for her blaster pistol, but the Asari reached out with her other hand, grabbed M'zan's wrist and snapped it with a single, savage twist. M'zan dropped her blaster with a cry of agony that was swiftly cut off when D'ranna grabbed her by one lekku and pulled. Off-balance and in pain, M'zan couldn't fight back; her face was brutally slammed into D'ranna's armored knee.

There was a spike of pain, and then everything went black.

…

D'ranna sneered as she held up the red alien bitch by one of her weird head-tentacles. _This _was the threat that had Tevos so pissed? D'ranna had seen Volus with more fight in them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a squad of Turian soldiers aiming their weapons. Moving fast, D'ranna grabbed the unconscious Admiral by the back of her neck, holding her out in front of her like a shield.

"Don't even think about it, you fuckers!" she shouted, "Take a step, move a talon, do _anything _I don't like, and the bitch dies!"

One of the Turians thought she was bluffing, and started to aim his rifle. In response, D'ranna pulled out her pistol and put a bullet through M'zan's left elbow, shattering the bone and waking her up with a scream of pain. A quick pistol-whip to the back of the head knocked her out again.

The point was made; the Turians didn't move a muscle until D'ranna and her Commandos were on their ship. A medic ran over to the fallen marines, but only Aurora was still alive. She wouldn't be for long, however, and she knew that, she could feel her organs punctured in far too many places; in a strange way, she knew that she only had enough time left for a single message.

"_V-Vengeance_," she stuttered weakly into her comms, "M-message for Outcast Blades…"

When she finished, the last thing she saw was the ship her beloved Admiral was held on, heading for the Mass Relay. Despite her failure to keep M'zan safe, Aurora felt oddly at peace. She'd sent a message to the one group who would never fail to save M'zan. They would shatter armies and burn whole cities if they needed to; killing that blue bitch and her cronies would be easy.

With that in mind, Aurora died with a smile on her lips.

…

**The **_**Desperate Measures**_

"_Message for the Outcast Blades," _the voice of the _Vengeance_'s comms-officer was strangled, as if he was trying to keep himself from utterly breaking down, _"Admiral M'zan has been abducted by an Asari mercenary named D'ranna. The Admiral's escort was killed."_

The silence was deafening. For Ryan, it felt like the universe had just stopped. The Blades were too late.

They'd failed.

_Was this how Rila felt when I got captured? _Ryan wondered.

He felt like his heart had been ripped out. M'zan was one of his closest friends; there was a point where they had almost been lovers, probably _would _have been lovers if he'd never met Tanith, but since he did, he loved M'zan like family.

And someone had just taken her away.

The sound of someone else's voice on the comms caught Ryan's attention.

"_Thanks to the Turians, we believe that the Admiral is being taken to the Asari homeworld of Thessia," _Gorch said, his voice strained, but composed, _"We can't go after her ourselves; we're better at blowing things up, rather than rescuing a hostage. That's why, as of now, your _only _priority is rescuing the Admiral."_

Ryan took a shaky breath. "Understood, sir. We'll head out immediately."

"_Ryan," _Gorch said, momentarily taking Ryan aback; Gorch _never _addressed him by first name, and now there was a note of pleading in his voice.

"_Bring her back."_

Ryan's trembling of rage stilled, and his face took on an almost serene expression. "We will. Tell Force Team what happened; they'll want in."

With that, Ryan cut the connection and looked at the other Blades. All of them, even Soleis and Xin, who had only met the Admiral once via holocom, looked shaken, sad, and most of all, angry.

"We're going to Thessia," Ryan said firmly.

Tanith nodded. "What's the plan?"

"Find Rila, save her, kill anyone who gets in our way."

Xin smiled, but there was no real humor in it. "Xin like that plan."

Similar sentiments were voiced by the other Blades.

"Tanith, set course for Thessia," Ryan ordered, "Wek, Soleis, get anything you can find on this D'ranna—aliases, known associates, history, whatever you can find. Sera, contact Shepard, tell him what's going on and ask if he can support us on the mission. After that, ask Councilor Valern about D'ranna; maybe STG will find out more."

Wordlessly, the Blades moved out, either to their assigned tasks or just to prepare, leaving Ryan alone. His armored hands opened and closed slowly.

_Rila had better be okay, _Ryan swore to himself, _if even a single stitch on her jacket is messed up, Laar's torture of me will look like paradise compared to what I do to D'ranna!_

…

**Thessia**

"You bitch," was the first thing M'zan said when she woke up and saw D'ranna leaning back in a chair, an arrogant smile on her face.

After a few minutes of cursing in several languages, M'zan took stock of her surroundings and of herself. She was in a room with no windows and a single door, which was probably guarded. Her hat was gone, as was her jacket and boots, and she was secured to the far wall by a chain around her throat, while her hands were manacled behind her.

She was also in pain. Her nose felt broken, probably from when she'd been kneed in the face, and her left elbow was in agony from being shot. Her head hurt from getting struck, and her lekku ached; the lekku was a very sensitive part of a Twi'lek's body, and even a simple tug could make a Twi'lek feel miserable for hours.

"What's the matter?" D'ranna taunted, "The high-and-mighty Admiral doesn't like being chained up?"

M'zan snarled. "You killed my people."

"So fucking what?" D'ranna couldn't care less.

M'zan leaned back against the wall; she tried to sit, but the chain was too short to let her do anything more than kneel, which was probably the point.

Still, despite the pain and the rage, M'zan was able to surprise her captor and _laugh_. It was tinged in bitterness and maybe a little hysteria, but there was genuine amusement, too.

"What's so funny?" D'ranna demanded.

"You don't know what you've done, have you?" M'zan had to take shallow breaths; the collar was clamped around her throat pretty tightly. "You've managed to piss off the scariest people in two galaxies."

"What, those mercenary friends of yours?" D'ranna snorted. "What a joke."

"You'll see," M'zan closed her eyes and smiled.

D'ranna scowled and got up from her chair. In two steps, she was standing in front of M'zan and drove an armored fist into her stomach. The Admiral sank to her knees, coughing and in pain, but was quickly yanked to her feet by her still-sore lekku.

"I honestly don't give a shit who you are," D'ranna hissed, punching M'zan again, "You're going to tell me all about your tech, because if you don't, you're going to see what it's like to be flayed alive. If you _do _tell me what I want to know, I'll make your death as painless as possible. Forget any fantasies you have about getting rescued.

"No one will ever know you're here."

...

**The **_**Normandy**_**, Thessia Orbit**

"Are we sure about this?" Shepard asked, "Not that I don't mind putting her down, but I'd like be absolutely sure."

The hologram of Valern nodded, while the hologram of Ryan seemed to smile in anticipation.

"_STG have gone over it a dozen times. Once they heard the name 'D'ranna', they were able to link her to Councilor Tevos. The Councilor," _Valern spat the title like it was vile, _"has used D'ranna and her Commandos for several operations that violate so many treaties it's not even funny. STG also found credits in D'ranna's account that came from Tevos. That was the only activity, so it pretty much pins this on her. If you can get D'ranna to confess, however."_

"_I'll only keep her alive long enough to do that," _Ryan said, _"And that's if Admiral M'zan is unharmed. If she was hurt in any way, I'll skin her alive and make her eat her own intestines."_

"_You know, there are some comments that should be kept to oneself," _Valern commented, though he didn't seem to mind.

Shepard took a moment for Ryan's absolutely vicious comment to sink in, then idly stuck a finger in his ear.

"I'm getting a lot of interference here, Councilor," he said, true meaning clear in his tone, "I didn't hear anything, did you?"

Valern smiled and nodded, then cut the transmission.

Ryan looked at Shepard. _"How's EDI doing on finding the location?"_

Shepard gave a grim smile. "Between her, Blade Three and the Shadow Broker, we were able to find the right building. We also know that, at the moment, there are about fifty Asari Commandos in prepared positions."

"_Only fifty?" _Ryan looked disappointed for a moment. _"How's your team? Everyone ready?"_

Shepard nodded. "If you give us five minutes, we can attack the front of the building, while you land on the roof and make your way down."

"_Catch 'em between us," _Ryan said approvingly, _"I like it. See you on the ground, Shepard."_

"Likewise," Shepard said, and the transmission ended. The Spectre headed for the shuttle bay, where his team was waiting, including Miranda, in her new armor.

While the previous suits that Miranda had worn into battle were technically considered armor, it relied on her shields and her own ability to avoid incoming fire. However, once the shields went down, Miranda's bodysuit would usually end up with several tears and holes.

Her new suit didn't show off her body or was in any way sexy. It was bulky and covered in so many layers and strength-enhancing technology that it would probably be considered an exoskeleton. It was painted dark-gray, the back of the armor curling up and over her head, giving her a hunched appearance. Unlike most armors, Miranda's leg-armor wasn't shaped around her leg, but actually expanded outwards the further down it went. The boots were advanced stabilizers to support her two massive weapons.

Her right arm was completely useless for grabbing or manipulating objects; in fact, the forearm-armor didn't even have a hand, but was replaces by a large box of metal. On two sides of the box was a weapon, each the same kind. Shepard had built it to be able to use multiple types of weapons, but in this case, Miranda had two Revenant LMGs on her right arm. Her upper arm, shoulder and part of her back were loaded with thermal clips; Miranda could fire constantly for hours before needing to resupply.

Her other arm was a bit more challenging. Again, it wasn't a simple gauntlet, but a massive paw of an arm that ended in five large, flat fingers. Instead of a palm, there was a large hole; that arm of the armor actually extended a full foot longer than Miranda's arm. The hole was the barrel of what was being called a 'biotic cannon'. Miranda's biotics were formidable, but the high-grade amps in her own body, combined with the ones in her armor and her left shoulder would, in theory, turn a simple Throw into a bunker-buster. Combined with thick plates of armor and shields that wouldn't be out of place on a tank, Miranda was a walking fortress.

"We ready to go, Commander?" James asked eagerly.

"Yes we are," Shepard answered, his eyes filled with the promise of violence, "Everyone get in the shuttle."

"Going to be a bit of a tight fit," Zaeed nodded at Miranda's now-hulking form.

"If you recall," Miranda's voice came out dark and distorted from behind her featureless helmet, "We were able to fit over a dozen people into one shuttle, and one of them was a Krogan. We'll be fine."

While most of the team continued with friendly banter as they got into the shuttle—even Javik managed a few dry jokes—Shepard spotted Liara sit inside the small craft, her arms crossed and a dark look on her face.

"You okay, Liara?" Shepard, sitting next to her and bumping shoulders.

"No, I'm not," Liara said mournfully, "The representative of the Asari, _my _people, hired mercenaries to attack our allies. It's completely unforgivable."

"Which is why we're going after Tevos as soon as we're done here," Shepard assured her.

"Good," Liara's eyes were hard. "I have a few things that I'd like to… _discuss _with her."

"Commander!" Cortez said sharply, before Shepard could ask what kind of discussions Liara would have with Tevos—or ask if he could help. "We're approaching the LZ now; scans show at least a dozen Asari Commandos waiting for us."

"Take us in, Lieutenant," Shepard ordered, "Scatter 'em with the main guns, then drop us off."

"Aye, Commander," Cortez said with grim anticipation, "Hope you don't mind me claiming first blood?"

"I'll buy you the first round, Esteban!" James called out, and was quickly joined by Garrus and Zaeed.

At that, Cortez grinned fiercely; a few seconds later, the Kodiak shuddered as its cannons ripped into the Commandos' position, destroying their cover and sending them running. A moment later, the shuttle landed and the doors opened.

"Good hunting, you guys!" Cortez shouted, then took off once they had disembarked.

"Miranda, four on your right!" Shepard called out.

In response, Miranda's right arm straightened out and unleashed a withering barrage of fire, ripping apart the four Commandos with high-velocity shots. The few shots the Asari managed to get off before they died pinged uselessly against her shields.

Zaeed and Garrus had their sniper rifles out and quickly removed two more Commandos' heads. Shepard, James and Javik led the charge towards the building itself, the two Humans using their shotguns, while the Prothean was using his advanced particle rifle to turn another Commando into bloody Swiss cheese. The rest of the team was right behind them, ready for combat.

Just before they reached the door, Shepard activated his comms. "Blade Lead, you are go; I repeat, you are go."

"_Copy that. Beginning assault." _Ryan's voice was strangely emotionless. _"Start the party with a bang, will you?"_

"With pleasure." Shepard turned to Miranda. "Would you mind knocking on the door?"

Behind her helmet, Miranda grinned, wild and fierce. "Stand back. This is the first test-firing."

The rest of the team got behind the ex-Cerberus operative as she leveled her left arm at the door. There was a brief hum, and then a truly _massive _bolt of biotic power, almost the size of a basketball, rocketed forward, blew a four-meter hole in the wall and killed three of the Commandos waiting for them.

Shepard snarled as more Asari started moving towards them. "Kill 'em all!"

…

"_Blade Three, in position," _Wek reported over the comms, _"Permission to fire?"_

"Not yet," Ryan said, "Wait until we're inside."

Before they had landed on the roof of the building, the Blades had dropped Wek off on top of the building across the street. The sniper had positioned himself so that any Asari near the windows—and with Asari architecture, there were a _lot _of windows—would be easy prey for him.

"_Copy that, Blade Lead. Just get the Admiral back, okay?"_

"We will," Ryan promised, as he and the other Blades exited the _Desperate Measures_.

"There's the door," Bitters pointed at the roof-access.

Ryan nodded. "Blade Seven, breach that door on my mark. Blade Five, saturate the area once he's done. Blade Two, Blade Six, as soon as Five is finished, you two are first in."

"Got it," both Mirialan and Turian said at once.

Once they were all in position, Ryan nodded at Xin. The Vorcha aimed his rocket launcher and fired. The explosive tore through the door and _then _exploded, causing the door to fly towards them, albeit in pieces. None of the Blade flinched as the debris bounced off their armor. Before the smoke cleared, Sera flooded the entrance with high-powered blaster bolts and was rewarded by a pained scream that was abruptly cut off.

"Go, go, go!" Ryan shouted.

Tanith and Soleis charged in, the former finishing off a wounded Commando with a single shot to the head from her scattergun, while the latter eviscerated another who was only dazed.

"Entrance is clear!" Tanith announced.

"Good. I'll take point. Blade Four, you've got our six. Blade Three, you ready?"

"_Yeah."_

"Then good hunting."

"_Likewise."_

Right before the Blades began descending into the building, they saw a flash of energy from across the street, followed by the sound of breaking glass and a startled yell. With Wek, the odds were good that any squads waiting for them would be missing officers and specialists when the other Blades met them.

Ryan charged in, shooting anything that got in front of him. An Asari tried to use her biotics, but Ryan shot off the glowing hand, then finished the job with a double-tap to the head. Two more Commandos were quickly killed as well, one by Ryan's blaster, the other by Soleis' claws when the Turian used her biotics to teleport in front of the Asari and reduce her to shredded meat.

The building they were in, according to what Wek, EDI and Liara had found out, used to be an office building of some kind. The tight corridors they were in quickly opened up into a large, dusty room that had only old desks scattered around for cover.

The first major opposition they faced was a full squad of Asari who entered from the floor below them. One of them was toting a rocket launcher, but a shot from Wek took out the weapon, before a second shot took out the wielder. Sera stepped forward and unleashed hell from her cannon, obliterating two more Commandos and seriously injuring a third. Two Commandos used a teleporting trick, much like Soleis, to try to get in close, but when they finished their charge, one ended up in front of Tanith's charged scattergun, while the other impaled herself on Bitters' vibrosword.

The surviving Commandos sought what cover was available, but Xin soon disabused them of that notion, his rockets sending them scrambling, or flying in pieces. Ryan spotted one of them trying to flee and shot her through the leg. While the others were finishing up, Ryan mag-locked his carbine, walked up and grabbed the Asari by the throat.

"Where is the Admiral?" he growled.

"Go to hell!" the Asari spat.

Ryan calmly drew his dagger and plunged it into the Commando's bicep, then twisted. The wound wasn't fatal, or even critical, but having muscle separated from bone hurt like hell.

"Wrong answer. Try again."

"_Commander, I've got something!" _Wek reported over the comms, _"The third level below you has no one there. I ran a few scans and found that the windows are just glass with holograms behind them. Behind that is almost a foot of solid metal. If the Admiral is anywhere, it's probably there!"_

"Good work, Blade Three," Ryan said, still holding the Commando, "Continue to provide overwatch. Blade Lead, out." He then looked at the wounded Asari. "I guess you don't need to help us after all."

Ryan sheathed his dagger, used his now-free hand to grab the Asari by the belt and hurled her out the window. The Blades were already moving before the Commando hit the ground, twenty stories below.

"Shepard, what's your status?" Ryan asked over the comms.

"_One sec," _Shepard said tersely, the sound of combat in the background. _"Okay, we're good for now. We've got automated defenses slowing us down, but we're at the fourth floor. What about you?"_

"We think we know where the Admiral is," Ryan reported, even as Xin used his blaster rifle to blow a fist-sized hole into a Commando who was trying to ambush them, while Sera used an explosive shot to kill two more. "We're moving now, but we need you to put the pressure on so that we can safely extract her."

"_Understood," _Shepard said, _"EDI thinks that there are just over twenty Commandos left."_

"Got it. I'll have Blade Three provide support for you; he can't help us where we're going."

"_Thanks. Shepard, out."_

"Let's move, Blades!" Ryan drew his _beskad _and charged, the others right behind him.

There was only a handful of Commandos between them and the floor they were heading for, and even though the Asari were all hardened veterans, it was unnerving to see the enemy squad utterly destroying anyone in their way, some of them spattered with the blood of their friends.

When the Blades reached the level they needed, they were confronted by heavy automated guns. It slowed them down, but only until they activated their stealth-generators. Once they did that, it was a simple matter to destroy them.

"There," Ryan said, pointing at a door, "Let's check there first."

"Hostiles inbound!" Sera announced as twenty Asari jumped from out of nowhere and opened fired.

The Blades returned fire, but as Ryan moved to attack, Tanith held up a hand to stop him, even as she used a mini-rocket to blow apart two Commandos.

"Commander, you get the Admiral," she said grimly, "We've got this."

Ryan took a half-second to consider arguing, but then changed his mind. "Thanks. I'll be back ASAP… with M'zan."

Trusting his team to get the job done, Ryan headed over to the door and kicked it down. The first thing he saw was the woman he'd come to save; M'zan was chained to the far wall, battered and bloody, but very much alive. He was only distracted for an instant, but it was enough for D'ranna, who'd been waiting in the corner, to blast him into a wall with her biotics.

Ryan growled as he hauled himself up. "Oh, you're going to pay for that, you kriffing bitch."

D'ranna scoffed. "What is it with you Humans always trying the impossible? You actually think you can beat an Asari? Pah!"

"I've killed quite a few of you today," Ryan said, calmly drawing his sword, "I'd say that your argument is invalid."

D'ranna's arrogance turned to rage. "Shut up and die!"

Instead of hanging back and using her biotics, like Ryan expected, her right arm was engulfed in an orange Omni-tool, which quickly sprouted a long Omni-blade. Unlike Shepard's blades, this one was almost three feet long and had a serrated edge. She held the blade horizontally across her chest, while her left arm was covered in purple energy.

Ryan spun his _beskad _once in his hand, then gripped the sword in both hands. "Let's dance."

…

"I thought you said that there were only twenty left!" Zaeed shouted over the roar of his Revenant, "There has to be another fifty of these goddamn bitches!"

"My apologies," EDI said as she used the Incinerate function on her Omni-tool to melt the flesh from the bones of a Commando, "There was a section of the building that blocked my scans. It would appear that D'ranna was hiding the bulk of her forces there."

"No kidding!" James growled as a barrage of bullets almost breached his shields, before he used his Carnage Shot, the explosive round ripping the offending shooter in half.

"Shepard, we need to fall back!" Garrus said, using his Phaeston to keep a pair of Commandos behind cover, "If we don't, we'll get flanked!"

"The Turian is correct!" Javik said, his biotics literally disintegrating three Asari, "We are outnumbered and they know the terrain. We will be overwhelmed before we can advance further!"

Shepard gritted his teeth, even as he used his shotgun to separate an Asari from her arm. Though his team was fighting brilliantly, there were only eight of them, and there were dozens of Commandos. Aside from Miranda, they'd run out of ammunition before they ran out of targets, and three of them didn't have biotics to fall back on.

"Commander," EDI announced, "I am getting a transmission from someone named Captain Juno Eclipse. She says that her team will be moving in to support us."

"Who are they?" Shepard asked.

In response, three figures smashed through the nearest window; their appearance was so unexpected that both sides stopped fighting to assess them for a moment.

Two of them were clearly Human. One was a much older man; his receding hair was white, and his face was covered in scars. The strange thing was, if Shepard didn't know better, he'd swear that the man was blind, going by his milky eyes. He wore simple plate armor, over which was a short robe. The other man was much younger with extremely short hair. He had handsome features, even with the small scars on his face. Like the older man, he wore armor, but no robe, and seemed to radiate power.

The last one wasn't Human, and if the anatomy was correct, it was female. Her skin was orange, while her head had two long tentacles, striped with white and gray. Her face had several white marks; two that would have been eyebrows on a Human, as well as diamond-shaped ones on her forehead and one on each cheek that looked almost like wings. She wore a tight-fitting leather outfit; her right arm had a fingerless glove that ended right below her elbow, while her left arm was a metal prosthetic that began right above her elbow.

The new arrivals had silver tubes in hand, though the woman had two of them. With a _snap-hiss_, the tubes ignited into blades of thrumming energy. The old man's blade was a bright emerald, the young man's was a sky-blue; the woman's right blade was a deep green, while her left one, which was only half the length of the other, was a bright sapphire.

The old man pointed his blade at the Commandos. "Take them down!"

The three of them charged, getting in range far faster than any Human should have been able to; even using biotics, it would have been hard to keep up with them. With blades in hand, the three hacked through the Asari, the dismembered pieces smoking and burning where the blades touched.

The Commandos, to their credit, were only stunned for a moment before they began fighting back. However, each time they fired, their shots were either nimbly avoided or blocked by the blades.

The young man held out his free hand at two Asari; to everyone's utter astonishment, thick bolts of lightning shot out, ripping the Asari apart. The alien woman pointed with the forefinger and pinky finger of her organic hand; to Shepard and his team, it looked like an invisible fist had caught another Commando in the chest, knocking her back and out a window. The old man made a swinging motion with his free arm, and five Asari were smashed into a wall, their limbs and necks twisted at unnatural angles.

"Holy hell," James breathed, "Who are these guys!?"

In a few seconds, the Commandos had been cleared out, dismembered by the strange weapons or ripped apart by something no one could see. Once the fighting was over, the old man turned to face Shepard.

"Commander Shepard?" the man said, not looking Shepard in the eye, but slightly off to the side. "I am General Rahm Kota, commanding officer of Force Team. This is Starkiller," he gestured to the young man, who nodded, "And Ahsoka Tano." The woman nodded as well, but added a friendly smile.

"Don't forget us!" a voice called out. From the windows the first three had come from were two people; the first, who had spoken, was humanoid, but covered head-to-toe in white-and-blue armor, with a pair of pistols and a sniper rifle on his back. The other was a robot, like EDI, but this one had no facial features save for two yellow optics; it was thin and gangly, but moved with the grace of an assassin and a dancer rolled into one. Attached to its waist were several tubes, similar to the ones the three organics were holding.

The armored man saluted. "Captain Rex, ready for action."

The mech nodded. "I am PROXY. I am ready as well."

Kota nodded, but again, his gaze wasn't centered on the new arrivals. That settled it for Shepard; Kota _was _blind, but somehow didn't need his eyes to see!

"Are you friends with the Outcast Blades?" Shepard asked.

Ahsoka smiled again. "We're practically family, though we haven't met the two newest members."

"I don't suppose I can get one of those laser-swords?" James asked, envy clear in his voice.

Starkiller shook his head. "You need to be a Jedi to use a lightsaber, unless you're a droid, like PROXY. Otherwise, you'll end up cutting off your own arm."

James considered that for a moment. "I'll stick to guns, then."

"We can have formal introductions later," Kota said, "Right now, we—"

The General, along with the other two Jedi, stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Rex asked, placing a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.

The Togruta looked worried. "We need to move, now!"

Without another word, Force Team dashed to the stairs, quickly moving out of sight, but leaving Shepard's team very confused.

"What's going on?" Liara asked to no one in particular.

Shepard shrugged. "I don't know yet, but let's hurry after them, double-time!"

…

Ryan grunted as D'ranna's biotics hit him the chest, knocking him back again. As soon as they crossed blades, both of them knew that Ryan was superior fighter, but the Human could never press his advantage; D'ranna was faster when using her biotics, and would use them to get some distance whenever it looked like Ryan was going to overwhelm her.

"I'm really starting to hate that trick," Ryan commented.

"Jealous?" D'ranna taunted.

"Not really," Ryan said nonchalantly, "Just annoyed."

D'ranna snarled; most opponents would be frustrated by now, but this little bastard just wouldn't quit! She unleashed a barrage of biotics, but when the dust settled, the Human wasn't there! Had he run out the door and abandoned the Admiral?

A blaster bolt, seemingly from nowhere, punched through her knee, causing her to fall over. With a hum, Ryan reappeared, holstering his blaster pistol with practiced ease. D'ranna started to move her Omni-blade, but Ryan drove his sword through her wrist and into the floor, shorting out her weapon and causing her unbelievable amounts of pain. Ryan quickly knocked her out with a boot to the temple. Without a backwards glance, he turned around to free M'zan.

Ryan quickly used his knife to cut through the collar, catching M'zan before she hit the ground. "Rila, are you okay? Talk to me!"

M'zan opened her eyes and smiled. "Good to see you, Ryan. Did you stop for dinner on the way or something?"

Behind his helmet, Ryan smiled back. "Something like that. Don't worry, we got you something too."

With another swipe of his dagger, he freed M'zan's arms, but she hissed as she moved her injured elbow. Ryan quickly noticed the injury.

"Medic!" he shouted; a moment later, Bitters ran in, his armor scratched up, but otherwise unharmed.

"Lay her down," Bitters ordered, which Ryan gently did, as the medic scanned the Admiral with his Omni-tool. "Shattered elbow, broken wrist, cracked rib, broken nose, minor concussion… if she stays in a bacta-tank for a few hours, she'll be fine."

Ryan let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, just as the other Blades, Shepard's squad and Force Team arrived. Ryan took off his helmet and shot them a grin.

"What took you all so long?"

Before anyone could make a smart comment, a moan caught their attention. All eyes focused on D'ranna, who was beginning to stir.

"What do we do with her?" Soleis asked.

Ryan's smile faded. "We get answers."

…

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

M'zan's return had been celebrated throughout Maverick. It had gone unsaid, but if permanent damage had been done, the battlegroup would have gone to Thessia and burned every city to the ground. Once again, the Outcast Blades had come through, though the return of Force Team was also a nice addition.

The one thing that no one had expected, however, was the trio of massive, Reaper-like creatures that had arrived from a Mass Relay and flown towards Maverick. The creatures, called Leviathans, would only speak to the Jedi of Force Team, but said Jedi assured everyone that they were on their side… or at least against the Reapers. The full story would be told later, but for now, there were more immediate concerns.

When word of M'zan's abduction had got out, Admiral Hackett had come personally to see how she was doing. The entire time he was on the _Vengeance_, he could see the crew of the ship giving him suspicious glares, and he didn't blame them. The Asari had always been generally friendly with the Systems Alliance; in Maverick's mind, the two could have been colluding. Right now, Hackett was on damage-control.

The Turians were as well, though no one seemed to be holding a grudge against them. They were properly contrite about M'zan getting captured on their watch; their honor had been tarnished, especially the Ninth Fleet, whom had promised that, once Palaven was secure, they would willingly serve under Maverick's command for the duration of the war. As an added gesture of good faith, they had returned the bodies of Lieutenant Aurora and her squad, as well as their equipment and proof that they hadn't looked at the technology.

When Hackett arrived at M'zan's quarters, he found the door guarded by an entire squad of marines, who triple-checked his identity before letting him in. Hackett had a feeling that if he hadn't come unarmed, they would have taken his pistol as well. When he entered the room, he found M'zan, looking no worse for wear—save for a bandage around her left arm—sitting at a table, reading a datapad. At various points around the room, the seven Outcast Blades were still in their armor, weapons within easy reach. They reminded Hackett of dogs protecting a beloved master; that feeling was only reinforced when the Vorcha growled at him.

M'zan looked up and nodded respectfully. "Admiral Hackett, what brings you here?"

Well, she was speaking to him, so that was a good sign. "Admiral M'zan, I wanted to first offer my sincerest apologies, both personal and on behalf of the Systems Alliance. We didn't want to warn you about an impending attack because we didn't know enough. I now realize that that was a mistake."

"Admiral, stop." M'zan held up her uninjured hand. "I can forgive your caution, and even my own injuries. However…" her eyes were hard. "Ten of my people are dead. I knew their names and considered them part of my family. I'm sure that the Alliance had nothing to do with their deaths, but the Asari… well, they've withdrawn support for the coalition, so I reserve the right to punish them."

At Hackett's worried look, M'zan smirked. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to declare war on them or anything. Just keep an eye on the news tomorrow, and you'll understand."

Hackett spent the next couple of minutes discussing naval operations, wished M'zan well, and was then escorted off the ship. It was only after he was gone that he realized he hadn't asked about the mercenary, D'ranna.

Something told him that he was better off _not _knowing.

…

"You bitch," were the first words out of D'ranna's mouth when she woke up and found M'zan watching her. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, but it had to have been a while; M'zan looked fully healed, and even her jacket, hat and boots were back on her body—she didn't know it, but Force Team, specifically Starkiller, had ripped D'ranna's ships apart, the Admiral's effects had been found in a small container that had been recovered.

D'ranna tried to get up and rush the red alien, but found her movements sluggish. She was lying on a cot, her armor gone, the only thing preserving her dignity a single sheet. She tried to use her biotics to flay M'zan with her mind, but nothing happened.

"We learned something interesting about biotics," M'zan said tonelessly, "There are certain chemicals that, if injected, completely nullify the Element Zero in your body. You've been dosed with enough to keep you harmless for the next six hours; there's a bet going on that you'll crack in three."

"I'm not telling you shit," D'ranna growled.

M'zan shrugged. "Personally, I don't care. I wouldn't have you tortured for information, despite what you did to me. However, you killed ten of my people. For my family… I'm willing to order a lot worse."

From behind M'zan stepped a giant of a man, wearing copper-painted armor and a massive sword on his back. In his hands was a small case.

"This is Blade Four," M'zan said conversationally, "He's a doctor from our galaxy, but he's more than willing to use his skills for things other than healing. He's been studying Asari physiology for a while, just in case he had to help one… or take one apart."

Bitters withdrew a hypo from the case and jammed the needle into D'ranna's neck. In an instant, the sharp pain that came from the stab-wound in her wrist became a thousand times worse.

"This will amplify your body's reception to pain," the medic said in a tone that could have been used to describe the weather, "Now, I've only been studying Asari anatomy for a few weeks, but I'm reasonably certain that your susceptibility to pain has been increased by several magnitudes.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

…

**The Citadel**

Aside from the increased presence of soldiers and the sobs of families who had lost people to the Reapers or Cerberus, life continued on as normal on the Citadel. People shopped, they ate, they even partied. They watched the news reports with only a little extra attention, in case they needed to pack their bags and leave.

Everyone paused, however, when every single holographic billboard and screen suddenly showed the same image. It was an Asari, bloody and bruised and only seen from the shoulders up. Parents quickly covered their children's eyes and ears, but almost everyone heard or saw what was said.

"_My name is D'ranna Palyora," _she said in a small, broken voice, _"My forces and I were hired to obtain the technology of Battlegroup Maverick for the Asari Republics at any cost. To that end, we attacked and abducted Admiral M'zan. Ten of her personnel were killed, and the Admiral herself was briefly tortured."_

Gasps were heard across the Citadel. Ever since the war began, Maverick had made a name for themselves as heroes. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from both Turian and Alliance space owed Maverick their lives; on top of that, the extra-galactic forces had the respect of just about every government in the galaxy.

Save for one, it would seem. The attitude of the Republics had grated on the nerves of everyone since the war began, but this was just going too far. Nearly every Asari on the Citadel felt glares headed their way, then started praying to the goddess that they would in no way be implicated.

Thankfully, D'ranna continued speaking. _"We were not hired by the government itself; the Matriarchs had no idea what was going on. We were hired solely by Councilor Tevos, who acted alone; the rest of the Council was unaware of Tevos' actions. Furthermore, over the last four hundred years, she hired us to do several illegal things against the Turian Hierarchy, Salarian Union and the Systems Alliance._

"_Admiral M'zan has requested that her people deal with the Councilor. Anyone who tries to stop them will be treated as their enemies."_

With that, the transmission cut out. Across the Citadel, people of all species looked at the nearest Asari; the situation was a powder-keg.

In a bar, a Turian walked up to an Asari. He tilted his head for a moment, then gently patted the smaller woman on the back.

"Why do politicians always make their whole race look bad?" he asked, then went back to his drink.

The tension in the bar relaxed, as it did for nearly the entire Citadel. Aside from a few incidents, people seemed to understand that the Asari as a whole were _not _responsible, that it was just one idiotic person with too much power. The cloud of anger sharpened, focused on a single target.

In less than an hour, over ten thousand people, including Asari, were gathered outside the Presidium, shouting for Tevos' head. While they would happily gut the Councilor if they got the chance, the shouting dimmed slightly when a handful of shuttles flew overhead, right towards the Council. It was assumed that M'zan's retribution was aboard.

They were right.

…

"There is an old Human saying," Councilor Udina said through gritted teeth as he glared daggers at Tevos, "What is your major malfunction!?"

"I have to ask the same," Sparatus agreed, getting a nod of appreciation from Udina, "What possessed you to try abducting the leader of our strongest allies!?"

Tevos sniffed in disdain. "I don't need to explain my actions to you. If it weren't for the Asari, you'd—"

"We'd be better off!" Valern shouted, uncharacteristically angry, "We've been manipulated and lied to by you for years, Tevos. The only reason we didn't enter your space at the beginning of the war and simply take the resources we needed is because we were too fucking used to you bossing us around!"

"That may change today," Sparatus mused, "I've heard that the Turian Ninth Fleet is ready to go to war over this, and I suspect a good third of the Hierarchy will want to just on principle. By betraying our trust in you, Tevos, we betrayed Maverick's trust in us."

"Don't worry about that, Councilors," Ryan said in a loud voice as he led the Blades into the Council chambers, "Admiral M'zan holds nothing against anyone other than Tevos… and _her_, I guess."

Xin stepped forwards, dragging a bound and naked D'ranna behind him. With a grunt, the Vorcha hurled D'ranna at the base of the table, where she landed with a smack.

Sparatus looked closely at the whimpering Asari. From the look in her eyes, she was a hairsbreadth away from completely breaking down, but there were only a few cuts on her body, and none of them seemed long or deep, save for the hole in her wrist. Either D'ranna wasn't very tough, or whoever had broken her was dangerously good.

"How dare you bring false accusations against me?" Tevos shouted, then glanced down at D'ranna, "And torturing an innocent Asari citizen…"

"No one is buying it, Tevos," Valern said coldly, "STG and Spectre forces have dug up everything between you and this attack-dog of yours. I move that Councilor Tevos be stripped of her position and handed over to Commander Nimbus for judgment.

"All in favor?" Valern raised his hand, which was quickly joined by Udina and Sparatus.

"You can't do that!" Tevos protested, "Only the Asari government can extradite me!"

"You are correct, of course," a new voice said. An Asari strode into the room, wearing a dark-green dress with a wide white stripe going down the front. Her skin was lighter than Tevos, and she had few white marks on her face.

"Councilors, I am Matriarch Irissa. The Matriarchy has nominated me as Tevos' replacement. I regret to inform you that Tevos _is _correct—only the Asari government can extradite its own citizens. To simply take her would be an act of war."

Tevos began to hope that she might leave this station alive, if not with her position intact, but Irissa's next words dashed that hope.

"However, as my first act as Councilor, I am pleased to say that the Matriarchs have unanimously decided to hand over the former Councilor to the Galactic Alliance forces for judgment."

Grim smiles were on the faces of the other Councilors, but Tevos completely snapped and lunged at her replacement.

"Irissa, you bitch! I guided you, taught you, and this is how you repay me!?" just before Tevos got within striking distance, her hands glowing with dark energy, a single blaster bolt rang out, catching the Asari in the chest.

Ryan idly twirled his blaster pistol as he approached the dying Asari. "Your fate was already decided by the Captains of Maverick. Normally, we would have executed you via firing-squad onboard the _Ren's Vengeance_, but we've already dirtied her by having D'ranna aboard. It was decided that the Outcast Blades would execute you at a place and time of our choosing. I'm choosing _here _and _now_. Any objections?"

No one said a word; a moment later, Ryan put a final bolt into Tevos' skull.

Irissa gracefully stepped around the corpse and took Tevos' seat at the table. "If no one minds, I'll call C-Sec and have the trash cleaned up."

"Agreed," Sparatus said, "Commander Nimbus, do you still want to take D'ranna with you?"

At that, D'ranna sobbed, but she was ignored.

Ryan shook his head. "Admiral M'zan offered the duty of the execution to the Turian Ninth Fleet. I'm told that the soldiers who had been there during the abduction have volunteered for that."

"Very well," Sparatus nodded, as C-Sec officers removed Tevos' body and took away D'ranna.

Once they were gone, Irissa cleared her throat. "Now that that is settled, I have another matter to bring to the Council's attention.

"After reviewing the facts, the Asari Republics believes that the wisest course of action would be to join the coalition founded by the Systems Alliance and the Salarian Union. Our military is moving to assist yours; from what I understand, the first thing you need is a ready supply of Element Zero, correct?"

Udina nodded eagerly. "From what I've heard about your supplies, our forces would be able to operate for twice as long."

Irissa activated her Omni-tool and tapped at it for a few seconds. "Consider it done. We will also send our best engineers to assist in building the Crucible, along with the supplies necessary."

"Thank you," Udina said, completely honest, then turned to the Outcast Blades. "And thank you, as well."

"Happy to oblige," Ryan said dismissively, "Now that that's settled, Councilors, we have to go."

"Where to?" Sparatus asked.

"Sur'kesh," Ryan answered, "We're meeting Commander Shepard there to help get Krogan support for the war.

"Of course, there is one thing we need to do first." Ryan glanced at the other Blades, who nodded. "Some of our friends have just come back from who-knows-where, and we need some damn answers!"

**So… yeah. Tevos is dead, and there was much rejoicing. Also, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. The funny thing is that I wrote it in about three days. Go me.**

**For those of you who are pissed that M'zan was beaten like that (I'm not going to say tortured, because it had barely begun), I'm sorry. For those of you who were mad that D'ranna's forces so easily overpowered M'zan's marines, well, Asari Commandos are actually pretty good. The Outcast Blades walk through everyone because they have more experience and better equipment.**

**Also, yay! Force Team is back! They'll show up more often from now on, but the focus of the story isn't on them. It's on the Blades. Besides, Starkiller is OP. **

**I know that I said that both the Blades and Shepard's team wouldn't be in this chapter as much. I lied. Sorry.**

**I hoped you liked Xin's armor, as well as Miranda's. If you want a good idea for what I had in mind for her design, look up Terminator Armour for the game Warhammer 40K, then add in the details I described.**

**Next chapter: questions are answered, reunions are made, and there's an angry Krogan.**

**I should go… get a muffin.**


	13. A Spark of Change

**STAR WARS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONG TO ME. THOSE WHO TRY TO TAKE THEM WITHOUT PERMISSION WILL BE HAVE THEIR FACES GNAWED OFF BY A VARREN.**

**So, of the three people I want dead in this story, there are only two remaining. Now, on to reunions, explanations and lines in the sand.**

**Also, I saw the premier of 'Star Wars Rebels'. It wasn't bad. It was no masterpiece by any stretch, but it's definitely something I'll come back to. But seriously, guys; did Ezra really have to have a crush on Sabine? Was that really necessary? Stop forcing relationships like that, Disney, love at first sight doesn't work; you made that point in 'Frozen'!**

Outcast Effect

Chapter 13

A Spark of Change

**The **_**Ren's Vengeance**_

Like most days, the crew of the _Vengeance _was busy, constantly working on maintaining systems or calibrating weapons. It was expected on a ship as large as an _Imperial II_-class Star Destroyer, and even more so for the _Vengeance_; it was still understaffed.

Today, however, was a little different; after Admiral M'zan had been abducted, and subsequently rescued several hours later, everyone moved with just a little more purpose. Everyone in Maverick loved M'zan, but the crew of her ship had nearly gone berserk when she'd been taken.

They swore it would never happen again.

Still, today was also a time for celebration. Force Team had returned, making the family that was Maverick complete once more.

Of course, like every family, there were issues that needed to be sorted out.

"You could have at least called!" Ryan scowled at Force Team; the two teams had met in the _Vengeance_'s briefing room, along with M'zan, who was watching as Ryan chewed the other team out.

"We weren't sure what we would find," Ahsoka tried to defend their actions, "We didn't know if the Reapers could track us or figure out our plan."

"A month!" Ryan's scowl deepened. "You were gone for a _whole month_! Do you know how worried we were!? Also, if you had been around, maybe I wouldn't have been eaten by a kriffing Thresher Maw!"

"You were _eaten_?" Juno Eclipse repeated incredulously.

"Big deal," Starkiller rolled his eyes, "I was eaten by a Sarlaac."

"You didn't have acid-burns afterwards!" Ryan shot back, "Those really hurt!"

"Are you ever going to let it go?" Kota asked softly, though that might have been because his voice was due to his hand clamped over his nose.

Ryan had made good on his promise to beat the daylights out of Kota; as soon as the Blades had returned from the Citadel, Ryan had punched the aging Jedi in the nose, breaking it. The fact that neither Force Team nor any of the Blades tried to stop him suggested that the punch was deserved.

"A. Whole. Month," Ryan's impressive glare was in full force, boring into Force Team. Ahsoka, Rex and Juno squirmed in their seats, while Kota, Starkiller and PROXY held firm. Finally, Ryan sighed.

"Okay, I'm done. Sorry about the ass-kicking, Kota, but you had it coming."

"What about them?" Kota waved an arm at the rest of Force Team.

Ryan scoffed. "Everyone knows that they follow your lead. If I had led _my _team to do something as stupid as you, I'd expect you to do the same to me."

Suddenly, everyone was staring at him. "What?"

Tanith had an evil smirk on her face. "We're going to hold you to that."

Ryan looked panicked and quickly changed the subject. "So, Kota, what did you find, other than really big creatures that look like Reapers?"

Kota sighed. "Quite a bit, actually. You might want to sit down…"

…

A few hours later, Ryan was sitting alone in the briefing room; everyone else had either gone back to their respective ships to prepare for upcoming missions or went to resupply.

"Hard to accept, isn't it?" M'zan's voice made him jump; he spun around to see the red-skinned Twi'lek behind him.

"Fierfek, Rila, don't _do _that," Ryan said, calming his racing heart, then sat back down. M'zan sat in the chair next to him, and the two shared a companionable silence.

"You okay?" she asked, putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

Ryan sighed. "Just… trying to process it all. I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around it."

That was an understatement. Force Team had dropped quite a huge bomb on them, after all; after meeting the Leviathans, they had spent the rest of their time away from Maverick, trying to convince them to join the fight against the Reapers, and to find evidence that would either prove or disprove the giant creatures' claims.

That Humans existed in other galaxies because the Leviathans had spread them across the stars.

Force Team hadn't wanted to believe it, but everything pointed to the claim being true. Until today, Ryan had never considered where he came from to be important, but now, he wasn't sure. In a way, the Humans in Maverick had come home, but it wasn't a home they recognized. It was too segregated, too small.

And honestly, none of them wanted to live in a galaxy with Reapers in it.

Ryan sighed again and leaned back in his chair. "Since your species' origins haven't been changed, what do _you _think about all this, Rila?"

M'zan shrugged. "Honestly? I don't care."

"Thanks," Ryan said sarcastically, earning himself a punch on the shoulder.

"I wasn't finished," M'zan said, "I don't care where you came from, because it doesn't change who you are. Just because Humans came from this galaxy shouldn't mean anything to you; you weren't born in this galaxy, and it's not your home. Your home is the _Desperate Measures_, and your team is your family."

Ryan blinked, then gave her a hug. "You know that _you're _part of that family too, right?"

M'zan returned the hug, holding it for a few seconds, then smiled impishly. "I hope Tanith doesn't show up right now; you don't want her getting jealous, do you?"

"She wouldn't get jealous," Ryan said flippantly, "She'd just kill me. And then she'd kill _you_."

"Well, since I don't want to die…" M'zan grinned and let go, leaning back in her chair. "Speaking of Tanith, have you two decided when you're having the wedding?"

If Ryan was aware of M'zan guiding the conversation away from the topic he'd spent so much time in borderline shock over, he didn't comment on it.

"We've talked about it, but we're not sure. We're both kind of afraid that if we get married, it'll either be right before something bad happens… or right after."

"What do you mean?" M'zan asked.

"We got together right after we lost the _Blaze of Glory_," Ryan said, noting how M'zan flinched slightly at the mention of her old ship, "And when I proposed, it was after I was tortured. Neither of us wants to get married after one of us gets crippled or something."

"Then why don't you get married sooner, _before _something happens?"

"Because we're not sure how we'll act around each other once we're married," Ryan admitted, "I'd be more comfortable getting married when I don't have to worry about getting shot every five minutes."

"I can see your reasoning," M'zan said seriously, "But let me ask you this: if something _did _happen to one of you before you tie the knot, wouldn't not doing so be your biggest regret?"

Ryan thought about it for a moment, then sighed. "Now I've got even more on my mind. Thanks, Rila."

M'zan laughed. "Glad to help. Now, I do have some good news regarding the whole 'Humans are really from this galaxy' thing."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"I just finished communicating with some people back in our galaxy," M'zan said, "I told them about what Force Team found, and how our two galaxies are connected. Luke and a few others were hopeful that this would speed up preparations for the Galactic Alliance's expedition here."

"That's good; I'm getting tired of fighting this war alone." Ryan tilted his head. "Did you tell Force Team about having a way to talk with the folks back home, and the fact that we've been gone for thirty years?"

M'zan nodded. "I let them know just a little while ago, but Ahsoka happened to walk into the room while I was talking to Luke. You should have seen her face when she saw that her 'nephew' was almost twice her age!"

"Please tell me you recorded it," Ryan said with a grin.

"Of course," M'zan replied, "It's not often you get to see a Jedi completely lose their composure."

The two of them shared a brief laugh, until Ryan's Omni-tool began to beep. He checked the black-and-white hologram and sighed.

"We've got to move out soon," he explained, "We're helping Shepard and his team to convince the Krogan to join the coalition."

While Ryan had wanted Force Team to come along for this mission, Kota had reluctantly turned him down. For now, Force Team would be making sure that the Leviathans and the rest of the coalition got along; only once that was done could they rejoin the fight. Kota had promised, however, that Force Team wouldn't leave anyone hanging again; once they got into the fight, they would stay.

M'zan looked impressed. "Humans, Salarians, Turians, Asari and maybe the Krogan… quite the lineup, isn't it?"

Ryan nodded. "We're hoping to get more; the Quarians and any mercenary groups that haven't already signed up. Shepard also mentioned that the Geth might be a possible ally, but I don't know if anyone else in this galaxy will be happy about it. They're all too scared of artificial intelligences."

M'zan sighed. "Small-minded fools, all of them."

"Not Shepard," Ryan said, "He accepted a Geth onto his team during the fight against the Collectors, even though others objected. He'd fit right in back home."

M'zan smirked. "So you don't consider this galaxy to be home?"

Ryan thought about it for a moment. "Well, it's like you said, I wasn't born here, just my distant ancestors."

"So you're done moping?"

"I wasn't moping!" Ryan scowled when M'zan began snickering. "If you don't have anything better to do than tease me, I'm going to go now."

Ryan got up to leave, but M'zan's hand gripped his wrist; he looked down at the seated Twi'lek, who had stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry," she said, standing up and giving Ryan a gentle hug.

Ryan returned the embrace. "You know, we don't have to go with Shepard's team; if you want, we can stay a little longer."

Since M'zan had been kidnapped, the Blades had been reluctant to leave the Admiral without at least one of their number being present. M'zan would never admit it, but she found it sweet that they cared enough to be so protective; then again, they _did _consider her family. Still, she wasn't one to be coddled.

"You go do your thing," she said, gently pushing Ryan towards the door, "I'll be fine."

Ryan hesitated. "You sure?"

"Do you want me to shoot you?"

"Bye, Rila!"

…

**Sur'Kesh Orbit**

Inside the _Normandy_, Shepard found himself growing more and more apprehensive. The Turian Primarch and one of the Salarian Dalatrasses were aboard his ship, as was Ryan, who was representing the Galactic Alliance interests. The only one still missing was the Krogan Overlord, and while Shepard had a good idea of who it was, it had been over a year; he could have been overthrown, but that was doubtful. That particular Krogan was too stubborn to die.

"Primarch Victus," Ryan said, drawing Shepard's attention to the meeting, "It's good to see you again. How has the battlefield of politics treated you?"

Victus gave the Turian equivalent of a smirk. "Better than I'd thought; with the war going on as it is, my duties haven't really changed that much, only my authority. How is Admiral M'zan?"

"Recovered enough that she threatened to shoot me if my team and I didn't stop hovering around her," Ryan said, his tone light, but Shepard saw something in the mercenary's eye that suggested he wasn't joking.

"Again, I offer the apologies of the entire Hierarchy," Victus said solemnly, "She was under our watch, and she was still captured."

Ryan shrugged. "No one blames your people, Primarch; hell, I'm just glad the Asari responsible are dead and gone."

"_Excuse me, Commander," _EDI said over the intercom, _"The Krogan vessel has just arrived and will be docking momentarily."_

"Finally," the Dalatrass, who was named Linron, huffed and smoothed her robes, "Let's see what this Krogan wants and get this over with."

"Not a fan of Krogan, Dalatrass?" Shepard asked. He was already moving the Salarian to his list of people he didn't like, if only for her attitude. Personally, Shepard liked most Krogan; they were honest, determined and had a better moral fiber than most beings he'd met.

"I am not," Linron said crossly, "I know of the atrocities they committed, both before and during the Krogan Rebellions."

"Oh, don't worry about that," a gravelly, baritone voice said, "I know my people's history, and we aren't going to repeat it."

As one, the group turned to see the owner of the voice. Like all Krogan, he was huge, his sloping hump reaching several inches taller than Victus, who had been the tallest person in the room until then. The Krogan had tan skin and a reptilian face, and both it and the large, red crest-like plate on his head were covered in thick scars. He wore thick armor that was painted the color of dried blood, with glowing, blue highlights on the back; one of his three-fingered hands kept twitching towards his waist, where a weapon would normally sit.

Despite his fierce exterior, Ryan could see a hard-earned wisdom in the Krogan's red eyes; it was the kind of wisdom that took a lot of violence to win. Ryan found himself liking the Krogan, and he didn't even know his name yet.

Shepard, however, did.

"Wrex!" Shepard cried out happily, then shook the Overlord's hand in a warrior fashion, each gripping the others' wrist.

"Shepard," Wrex said, a wide smile on his face; when the two separated, he nodded at the other three in the room, though the one he gave Ryan was slightly more respectful than the ones he gave the Turian and Salarian.

"Everyone," Shepard said, gesturing to the Krogan, "This is Urdnot Wrex, Overlord of Tuchanka and leader of the Krogan."

Victus nodded in the way that a leader would treat an equal. "Primarch Victus. It is an honor to meet you, Overlord."

Shepard, Ryan—and more importantly, Wrex—found themselves respecting the Primarch just a bit more. It was a good start to the meeting.

The Dalatrass, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to be anywhere but on the _Normandy_. That wasn't a good sign.

Ryan gave a friendly smile. "Ryan Nimbus, Commander of the Outcast Blades. I'm representing the Galactic Alliance in this meeting."

Wrex approached the smaller Human and sniffed. "You fought a Thresher Maw. I can smell it on you."

"Uh, yeah," Ryan said, a little taken aback, "I got swallowed by one on Akuze and had to cut my way out with my sword."

Wrex looked at Shepard, who nodded in confirmation; while the Spectre hadn't seen the act himself, he had no reason to doubt Ryan's word.

"Damn," Wrex said, impressed, then gestured to the right side of Ryan's face, "Between that and the scars, you'd be fighting off Krogan females with a stick… or maybe a tank, ha!"

_Note to self, _Ryan thought, _do not tell Krogan females about Akuze, and wear a helmet at all times._

"Can we please just get on with it?" Linron looked less than thrilled with just about everything, "Tell us what you want, Krogan, and we'll try to reach an agreement."

Wrex growled, but Shepard was faster, taking a step in Linron's direction. "This Krogan has a name: Urdnot Wrex. He's also a friend of mine, and I don't like it when people insult my friends."

Linron glanced at Victus and Ryan for help, but the former only crossed his arms in disapproval, while the latter just glared. The Salarian sighed, realizing that she would not be getting any help in this matter.

"We need to make this quick," Wrex said, resting his hands on the table, "Reaper scouts were spotted on Tuchanka; I don't want to be somewhere else while my home is being attacked."

"We know how that feels, Wrex," Shepard said softly, remembering Earth.

"What is it that you want in exchange for an alliance, Overlord?" Victus asked.

"It's not what I want, but what my people _need_," Wrex said, then paused for dramatic effect.

"A cure for the genophage."

Honestly, Ryan wasn't surprised; he'd read about the genophage during his perusal of the Codex, and while the Krogan attack on the rest of the Citadel space was uncalled for, sterilizing them to the point that nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand births would be stillborn was a crime against life itself.

Ryan was pleased that neither Shepard nor Victus looked like they were going to object. Linron, on the other hand, gasped.

"Absolutely not!" she shouted, "You would bring back one of the worst threats to galactic stability since—"

"The Reapers?" Shepard interrupted, "The genophage was a mistake, Dalatrass, and it's about damn time that it was fixed."

"Releasing a new Krogan horde upon the galaxy is the real mistake, Commander!" Linron argued.

_Wrong thing to say, _Ryan thought as he saw Wrex's eyes narrow, while his hands were wreathed in biotic energy.

The Overlord slammed his fist on the table, creating a dent the size of a Human torso. "We are not a mistake!"

"No, they are not," Victus agreed, much to Wrex's surprise, "The Reapers are a threat to _everything_, Dalatrass. Whatever sins the Krogan of times past committed, they are needed now. Without them, there is a strong chance we will lose this war!"

"What about the Galactic Alliance forces?" Linron asked desperately, looking at Ryan, who only shook his head.

"We have _seven _ships," he said, "Believe me, we'll give a good account of ourselves, but we can't win this war with what we have now. We need every ally we can get, especially since we have no idea when the folks from our galaxy will send reinforcements; we don't even know if they _will _send reinforcements!"

The Dalatrass sighed, defeated; Victus didn't help matters with his next statement.

"Getting back to the point, I honestly don't see how we can give you what you want, Wrex. A cure could take years to develop!"

Instead of glowering again, like Shepard expected, Wrex only smirked. "My information says otherwise."

"You mean someone already found a cure?" Ryan asked, intrigued.

Wrex nodded, his smirk becoming a full grin. "Oh yeah. A Salarian scientist, Maelon, grew a conscience. He was on my planet testing a cure on our females."

"I remember that," Shepard said, "He tortured, mutilated and killed dozens of people, not just Krogan. I didn't know he'd come up with a cure, though, only that he was close."

"As far as I know, he did it on accident," Wrex explained, "Some of the females survived the process. The Salarians sent in a team to clean up the whole mess—and take the females prisoner."

Under the glares of Shepard, Ryan and Victus, the Dalatrass wilted. "How could you have this information? It could be a fabrication!"

"Don't insult me!" Wrex roared, pointing an accusing finger at the Salarian. "Those are _my _people! They're immune to the genophage, and you're going to give them back!"

"Dalatrass, is this true?" Victus demanded.

"How will curing the genophage benefit _my _people?" the Dalatrass asked.

"You won't get killed by the Reapers?" Ryan said, as if it were obvious, before his expression grew dark. "Also, if you're holding innocent people hostage, especially if those people are the hope of their entire species, I will personally go to where they're being held, beat the daylights out of anyone in my way, and take them home."

"And I'll be right behind him," Shepard said sternly, "Dalatrass, those females are the only hope of their people. We _are _going to rescue them, whether you like it or not. The Salarian Union pledged its total support for the coalition; it's time to see if you were lying when that oath was made."

Linron looked around at the determined faces before her, then sighed. "The females are being kept at an STG base on Sur'Kesh. I will send the exact coordinates to your Omni-tool, Commander Shepard.

"But I warn you, Commander," she continued, as the males in the room began to file out, "A bully has few friends when they are needed most."

"Good thing we're not bullies," Shepard said cheekily, before his expression grew serious. "There's an old saying, Dalatrass: better the devil you know than the devil you don't. If I had a choice, I'd say that a potential, if unlikely, war with the Krogan is infinitely more preferable to being killed by the Reapers."

If Shepard was hoping to change the Salarian's mind, he was disappointed; the Dalatrass only huffed and looked away. Some people never changed, it would seem.

…

An hour later, the _Normandy_'s shuttle was headed down to Sur'Kesh, ready to retrieve the female Krogan. Inside the shuttle was Shepard, Liara, Garrus, Zaeed and Wrex; Ryan had also come along, as did Tanith, Wek and Soleis. The eight of them, fully armed and armored, were Wrex's 'security', though it was less to protect Wrex from the Salarians as it was to protect the Salarians from Wrex.

While both Commanders wanted to take their full teams, things were tense enough as it was, and it wasn't like they were planning on starting a fight. However, both Ryan and Shepard knew how bad their luck was, so the remaining members of Shepard's team joined the other Blades aboard the _Desperate Measures_; if things got really bad, the Blades' ship would come in, guns blazing, as well as providing reinforcements.

"Thanks again for your support, Shepard," Wrex said as Cortez brought the shuttle in closer, "You too, Nimbus."

"Ryan, please," the mercenary said, "Or Blade Lead, since this is a mission."

Wrex chuckled. "It's funny; I don't think anyone ever calls Shepard by his first name, and you don't want anyone calling you by your last name."

"Yeah, we're weird like that," Shepard joked, before returning to the topic of the mission. "Any idea where the females are being kept in this base?"

Wrex shook his massive head. "My contact didn't say, and we don't have time to find out. If it comes to it, we'll just have to tear the whole base apart."

It was a little worrying to everyone else that Wrex only looked encouraged by that prospect.

"It won't come to that," Shepard said, more to assure the non-Krogan on the shuttle than Wrex.

"Still, we'll do everything we can to help your people, Wrex," Liara said, smiling at her old teammate.

Wrex returned the smile. "I appreciate that, Liara. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

Garrus coughed, getting the Krogan's attention; he'd been Wrex's teammate too.

"I suppose there's room in this party for you, C-Sec," Wrex said with mock-reluctance; despite the Krogan's dislike for Turians in general, he and Garrus actually had a grudging respect for each other.

"I just hope that sitting on your throne all day didn't dull your edge, Wrex," Garrus joked.

Wrex only patted his shotgun and smiled.

"Hey, Commander… uh, both of you!" Cortez shouted from the cockpit, "I'm getting a message from the base; they're saying we don't have permission to land, and they're threatening to shoot us."

Wrex snarled. "I knew they wouldn't keep their word!"

"Hold on, Wrex, let me try talking to them," Shepard said, trying to keep his friend from doing anything rash, "Cortez, stay on course."

"Aye, Commander!"

Ryan opened a channel to the Salarians. "Attention STG base, this is Blade Lead, Commander of the Outcast Blades; our approach has been approved by the Dalatrass, and we've got an angry Krogan with us. Let us land or you'll cause a diplomatic incident… and you'll make the Krogan even angrier."

There was a pause, then a voice answered back. _"I apologize, Commander, but we have received no such approval and our orders are clear: no one sets foot on this base."_

"For the love of…" Ryan felt like punching something, but instead turned to Cortez. "Please tell me we're close to the base."

"We are," the pilot confirmed, "About five meters above the ground, actually."

"Good," Wrex said, opening the hatch, "Let's see 'em try to stop a Krogan airdrop."

"Krogan air…?" Shepard's eyes went wide behind his helmet. "Wrex, wait!"

Wrex ignored the Spectre, instead drawing his shotgun and leaping out of the shuttle. He landed with a sound not unlike an asteroid-impact, then used his biotics to hurl a Salarian soldier into a wall. Wrex aimed his shotgun, but paused when he saw several red dots on his chest; he glanced off to the side and saw several snipers in the distance, all aiming at him.

Thankfully, further violence was halted when the shuttle landed and the two reduced teams dashed out, their weapons undrawn, but ready for a fight, regardless.

"Please, Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague!" a Salarian cried out, while another helped the one that Wrex had thrown. "We just found out about this transfer a few seconds ago!"

_I wonder if the Dalatrass intentionally waited until the last second, just so that her opinion on the Krogan was vindicated, _Ryan thought.

"I'd like to avoid a diplomatic incident," Shepard began, trying to defuse the situation.

"As would we," the Salarian said hurriedly.

"However," Shepard continued, "You have something valuable to Wrex."

"Something worth dying for," Wrex added, not lowering his shotgun.

"This matter can be resolved," the Salarian said, "but I insist that your Krogan friend remain under guard."

"We can handle this, Wrex," Shepard said, trying to calm his friend down.

"If it makes everyone feel better," Ryan cut in, "I'll have one of my teammates stay with him."

The Salarian hesitated, then nodded. Ryan looked at Tanith.

"Blade Two, stay with Wrex; that way, he can talk to someone that he doesn't want to kill."

"Got it, Blade Lead," Tanith said, then moved near the Krogan and sent a look through her helmet at the Salarians that clearly said _back off_.

"If anything goes wrong," Wrex said darkly, his warning aimed at both Shepard and the Salarians, "All bets are off."

The Salarian guided the rest of them into the facility as quickly as he could, hoping to avoid any more near-misses.

"I'm Padok Wiks, and I appreciate your understanding," he said, "With the war going on, everyone is on edge."

As they moved, they saw a team of scientists moving a cage that contained a large, bipedal creature with heavily-muscled arms, multiple eyes and a three-lipped mouth. Ryan saw Liara shiver at the sight.

"I'd hoped to never see one of those again," she said.

"Why's that?" Wek asked.

"That was a Yahg," Garrus said, then switched over to a private comm-channel. "The last Shadow Broker was a Yahg… it tried to kill us."

"Damn near succeeded," Zaeed grumbled, "I was in the med bay for two whole days because of that bastard. Goddamn Yahg are worse than a Krogan any day!"

"Let's not mess with it then," Ryan suggested.

"As you can see," Padok said, "This base contains sensitive information."

"Considering that Yahg are supposed to be quarantined to their homeworld, I'm not surprised," Soleis commented.

"What kind of work goes on here?" Shepard asked.

Padok shrugged. "Evolutionary trials, morphological experiments, exogenetic assessments."

Shepard blinked. "Nothing is ever simple with Salarians, is it?"

"Science has always been our best defense," Padok said with a smile, "The research we do here has kept Sur'Kesh safe for millennia."

"Does that include kidnapping Krogan?" Ryan asked, his arms crossed.

"We didn't kidnap them, we rescued them!" Padok protested, "The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka. They were brought here to stabilize their condition."

"We need to see them," Ryan said, his tone clear that it wasn't a request.

It wasn't clear if Padok was intimidated, but his Omni-tool beeped a moment later and he nodded.

"You've all been cleared to see the females," he said, then gave a small smile. "I hope we can resolve this matter without reenacting the Krogan Rebellions."

"You don't seem upset that the genophage could be cured," Wek noted.

Padok shrugged. "I differ from most of my colleagues. Curing the genophage will bring closure to this issue. In the future, the Krogan may yet play some role we can't even imagine. We should let the evolutionary process decide who lives and dies, not galactic politics."

"It's about goddamn time someone else realized that," Zaeed said, then snorted. "And you know it's bad when _I'm _the one who notices stuff like that."

"Come on," Shepard said, heading to the nearby elevator, "Let's get this done."

Just before they got inside, however, alarms began to blare; on reflex, both Shepard's team and the Blades reached for their weapons.

"_Alert!" _a synthesized voice said over the base's intercom, _"Threat condition two has been declared. Scramble readiness teams."_

All around them, STG operatives were drawing weapons and moving out, while in the distance, several gunships were lifting off.

"What's happening?" Shepard asked Padok, who checked his Omni-tool.

"Sensors have picked up activity on the perimeter," the Salarian said quickly. "I need to organize things here; please head down to the labs and finish your mission."

As the group moved into the elevator, Ryan reached for his comms. "Blade Two, contact the _Desperate_, tell them to be ready to deploy at any time. Stick with Wrex while we take care of things down here."

"_Copy that," _Tanith said calmly, _"Good luck. Blade Two out."_

…

The ride down into the lab was tense; each person had a hand near a weapon, but nothing to shoot at. When the elevator opened at their destination, Ryan was half expecting it to be a trap, and almost drew his blaster pistol at the Salarians in front of him. In fact, he _would _have done exactly that if he hadn't noticed that the Salarians all had their backs to him.

"All specimens are accounted for, sir," one Salarian said, then saluted and ran off with all but one of the others.

That Salarian looked, for lack of a better word, old. His scaly skin was mottled, and his posture was that of one who had seen too much in a long time—long being the operative word, since Salarians only lived for about forty years. This particular Salarian also had several jagged scars across his face, and his right horn was gone. He wore white armor with a wide red stripe going down the middle. He looked up at the approaching group and his eyes focused on one person in particular.

"Shepard!" he said happily, quickly walking up and shaking the Spectre's hand, then nodded at Shepard's teammates. "Garrus, Zaeed, Liara. Good to see you as well."

"Mordin!" Shepard said, grinning; he looked at those who didn't know the Salarian. "This is Professor Mordin Solus; he's a brilliant scientist who helped me stop the Collectors. Mordin, these are the Outcast Blades; well, some of them, anyway, I'm sure you'll meet the rest before too long."

Mordin nodded jerkily at Ryan. "Yes. Heard about extra-galactic beings on Extranet. Odds that other Humans exist in another galaxy, astronomical. Would love to study science and culture later. Preferably without Reapers attacking."

Ryan blinked at the rapid-fire pace of Mordin's speech. He hadn't spoken to too many Salarians, but he'd noticed that when they were excited or scared, they tended to speak very, very quickly. Mordin, however, spoke so fast that it took Ryan a moment for his brain to catch up. The odd thing was that Mordin didn't appear overly excited or frightened; Ryan wondered if that was just how Mordin normally spoke.

"So Mordin," Garrus said, "What are you doing here? Are you back with STG?"

"Semi-retired," Mordin said, "Now special consultant. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

The scientist looked around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, then leaned in close to the two groups.

"Helped female Krogan," he whispered, "Fed information to Clan Urdnot. Encouraged political pressure to free females."

"You must be Wrex's inside source," Shepard said quietly.

It made sense; after the atrocities that Maelon, Mordin's former student, had committed, Mordin had experienced quite the crisis of faith. He'd held onto Maelon's research, perhaps so that he could cure the genophage, when it was he who had modified and strengthened it years earlier.

Mordin nodded. "Yes. Can explain later. Security warnings not normal. Need to get offworld for sake of Krogan."

"Then let's get the females and get out of here," Ryan said.

"Agreed. Follow me." Mordin began leading them deeper into the lab. "Females had weakened immune systems. Side effect of Maelon's cure."

Mordin stopped in front of a transparent cage, where several still forms were wrapped in tarps. "These… didn't survive."

"But we saved Maelon's data," Shepard said.

"Yeah," Zaeed said, looking angrier than normal, "I remember getting shot by a goddamn Vorcha during that op. You're telling me it was all for nothing?"

"Not true," Mordin assured them all, "Data saved, but not complete. Lacks crucial details to reconstruct cure, but still useful for synthesizing from living tissue. Still… wish I could have saved them."

"I'm sure you did what you could," Shepard said, briefly putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Arrived too late. Cannot delay now." Mordin's tone was steely. "One survivor. Immune to genophage. Can synthesize cure from her tissue."

"You haven't moved her to somewhere more secure?" Ryan asked, as Mordin began walking again.

"Couldn't risk it," Mordin said, "STG operatives good, but not always suited for heavy fighting. Needed Krogan support. Got better. Got Shepard, and you. Now that you're here, can move the female. She is the last hope for Krogan. If she dies, genophage cure… problematic."

After another minute of fast walking, the group arrived at another cell. Inside was a form that was clearly Krogan, but any details about her were obscured by heavy robes, a shawl and facial coverings.

"Please be careful," Mordin warned, "Krogan slow to trust."

Shepard nodded and approached the Krogan. "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

"Are you here to kill me?" the female's voice was deep, yet had a certain grace that Wrex's had lacked.

"Why would we want to kill you?" Ryan asked.

Though her face was covered, both teams would have sworn that the female was smirking. "I'm the last hope for the Krogan. That makes me dangerous to a lot of people."

"Well, don't worry about that," Shepard assured her, "Urdnot Wrex is just outside. He's here to take you home."

"Why?" the Krogan's voice rang with curiosity, but it was buried beneath a layer of fatigue and cynicism. "What am I to you?"

"You're the last hope for the Krogan race," Shepard said, "I'm fighting for that."

"And if it's all the same to you," Ryan added, "I'd rather not see an entire species go extinct, especially when I had a chance to stop it."

The tension in the room, which had been slowly simmering, spiked when more alarms began to blare. The female tilted her head at Ryan.

"Then I hope you brought an army."

"_Alert!" _a synthesized voice announced, _"Unidentified vessels have breached the perimeter."_

Scientists and soldiers throughout the lab began to scurry about, grabbing weapons or rushing to computer terminals. One soldier ran over to the terminal next to the two teams and began typing furiously.

"What's going on?" asked Wek, the closest to the Salarian.

"We have multiple ships inbound," the soldier said tersely, "Our long-range communications have been severed."

"Yours, maybe," Ryan said, reaching for his comms, "But I doubt ours have. Blade Two, give me a sitrep."

"_It's Cerberus," _Tanith said, venom in her tone, _"I don't know why, but I don't think they want the genophage cured."_

"Copy that," Ryan said, "Stay with Wrex and watch his back; while you're at it, tell the _Desperate _that it's time for them to join the party."

"_Got it," _Tanith said a moment later, _"Wrex and I are at the shuttle and will provide air-support. Blade Five reports that the rest of the teams will be on the planet in ten minutes."_

"That long? Why?"

"_There are dozens of Cerberus shuttles in the way. The _Desperate _can keep some of those hostiles from reaching you."_

"Understood," Ryan said, imagining the joy on the faces of those who had remained behind for this mission, "Tell them not to spend too much time having fun. We've got a VIP that needs to get out of here yesterday. Blade Lead out."

Shepard approached the nearby Salarian soldier. "Release the female. We're leaving."

"I can't," the soldier protested, "Protocol states that during lockdown no specimen—gah!"

"Objection noted," Mordin said calmly to the soldier, who was still twitching from the effect of getting electrocuted by Mordin's Omni-tool. "Now, please release Krogan."

The soldier didn't reply, save for tapping at the console again. The side of the female's pod opened up, and Mordin stepped inside.

"Have to monitor female as we clear quarantine procedures," he said, "Will need protection from Cerberus. Meet us at next checkpoint."

"Got it," Shepard said, then turned to Ryan. "Let's head back for the elevator."

The seven of them ran across the lab; when Shepard hit the button to summon the elevator, they finally drew their weapons, just in case.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Wek said, just as the elevator arrived.

The door opened…

"Oh crap," Garrus said, as all eyes saw the bomb sitting on the floor.

"Get back!" Ryan shouted, grabbing the closest person and jumping backwards. They cleared the blast which, thankfully, wasn't too large; it was probably meant to kill anyone inside the elevator.

"Everyone all right?" Shepard asked, getting to his feet.

"I think so," Liara—who had been the one Ryan had grabbed—said, accepting Ryan's hand to help her get up. "My thanks, Commander."

"Don't mention it," Ryan said, then looked around. "Is there another way out of here?"

"Yes, there is," a nearby Salarian said, "There's a service ladder on the other side of the lab. It leads to where you needed to go."

"Fantastic," Ryan said, "Double-time it, people!"

It was a mad dash for the ladder which, unlike the elevator, wasn't booby-trapped. Shepard was about to climb up, but Ryan held him back.

"Better let me go first," he said, "You're not the one with indestructible armor, remember?"

Shepard nodded, then stepped aside to let Ryan up. Halfway through the climb, Ryan activated his stealth-generator, just in case. It turned out that his caution was warranted, because a trio of Cerberus troops was right outside with weapons drawn.

_Suckers, _Ryan thought, and fired a mini-rocket into their midst. The blast killed two, but the last one barely survived; Ryan quickly finished him off by stabbing him in the throat with his dagger.

"Get up here!" he shouted into the comms, "They'll know something's up now!"

The rest of them quickly climbed up, and just in time—a dozen more Cerberus soldiers arrived on the scene.

"Liara, Singularity!" Shepard yelled.

"On it!" a moment later, half of the enemy soldiers were orbiting chaotically around the biotic sphere.

"Blade Six!" Ryan shouted, drawing his sword to accompany his dagger and charging.

"Right!" Soleis was right behind him; between them, they reduced the other Cerberus troops to severed limbs and headless torsos. While they were doing that, Wek, Zaeed and Garrus were sniping the floating troopers.

"No time to waste," Shepard said, his Revenant in one hand, while the other glowed with biotic power, "Let's meet up with Mordin and the female!"

Throughout the base, the battle raged between Cerberus and STG forces. The former had numbers and the element of surprise, but the latter had intimate knowledge of the terrain, some of the best Mass Effect technology available, and had trained for an occasion just like this. While Cerberus had caused quite a bit of destruction in the initial strike, the fighting was mostly contained. Only a few enemy squads had broken through, and everyone knew their objective: the only hope for the Krogan people.

"Blade Lead to _Desperate_," Ryan—now using his blasters—called over the comms, "Tell me that you're close."

"_What's the matter, Commander?" _Bitters asked jokingly, _"Cerberus must have a ton of guys down there to make you nervous."_

"It's not us I'm worried about," Ryan said sharply, "This entire war could hinge on getting the VIP out of here, and I'm not taking any chances."

"_Understood, Blade Lead," _Sera said, probably to cut off an acerbic comment from Bitters, _"Disengaging from aerial combat. ETA to your position is three minutes."_

"Good. We're moving out, but try to keep a lock on us. Blade Lead out."

"Contact!" Soleis shouted, as another Cerberus squad appeared. The teams took cover, but Soleis was just a bit too slow; the bullets slammed into her barrier, breaking it and staggering her. Time seemed to slow down as three Cerberus troops took aim at her, and Soleis prepared for the end.

The end did come, but not for her. In a show of accuracy that would be talked about for years to come, Wek took aim with his sniper rifle and fired. The shot first ripped through one soldier's throat, then into the second's head and struck the wall behind him. The shot wasn't finished, however; there was just enough energy to bounce off the wall at just the right angle, catching the third trooper's weapon and knocking it out of his hands.

Then time sped up again, and the remaining Cerberus soldiers were quickly gunned down. Everyone spared a second to look at Wek in undisguised awe, and then Ryan moved over to Soleis.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Soleis said, still a little dazed, "I wasn't hurt, and my barriers will be back in a minute… how did he make that shot?"

Ryan glanced back at Wek, who was scanning the area for more targets. "No idea. I knew he was good, but… damn, he's _really _good. Now come on, we've got to keep moving."

For the next couple of minutes, they kept going, only slowing down to take out the odd Cerberus straggler. As they opened the door to the next section of the base, however, they found a small team lying in wait. It was they who were ambushed, however; with a bestial roar, the Yahg from earlier smashed through a wall, rupturing something flammable. The first soldier was smashed into a pulp, while the other two were burned to death. At first, the Yahg looked like it was going to attack the two teams, but decided to seek easier prey and left.

"Careful," Shepard said, trying to lighten the mood, "There goes the next Shadow Broker."

"I could've sworn I heard it mutter 'T'soni'," Garrus joked.

"Not funny," Liara said, frowning.

A moment later, Mordin contacted them over the comms. _"Shepard, Cerberus troops at checkpoint. Attempting to kill Krogan. Need assistance!"_

The seven of them spared no more breath to talk, save for a few curses, and charged towards Mordin's position. They found the pod that both Mordin and the female were inside of, and it was being bombarded by grenades thrown by a dozen Cerberus troops.

Wek, Garrus and Zaeed killed three of them with precise headshots, but just as the rest were getting ready to fire, the remaining troops were gunned down from behind. A moment later, the rest of Shepard's team, along with Bitters, Sera and Xin stepped around the corner.

"Were we too late?" Javik asked.

"I'd say you were just in time, actually," Ryan said, then turned to Sera. "Where's my ship?"

The droid gestured behind her with her cannon. "It is on the other side of the base. That was the only area large enough to hold it. Where is Blade Two?"

"With Wrex, helping out the Salarians," Ryan said.

Garrus chuckled. "I'll bet doing that is killing him."

Aside from a nod of recognition to his teammates, Shepard wasted no time and headed to Mordin.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

"Containment shield is holding," Mordin said from the other side of the pod, "Will try to repair if necessary. Can't speak for Krogan's health, however."

"I'm fine, Commander," the female said, her tone daring Shepard to claim otherwise.

Mordin tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Females kept secret. How could Cerberus know? Possible mole in STG, maybe indoctrinated. If no Krogan alliance with Turians, Reapers left unchallenged."

"We'll do more than challenge them," Shepard assured him, then activated the pod, sending it to the next destination.

"Why don't we just move her to the _Desperate_?" Bitters asked.

"Do you know how to take care of a sick Krogan?" Ryan asked back, and got a reluctant 'no' from the medic. "Then right now, she's exactly where she needs to be."

"Shepard, meet us at next checkpoint," Mordin said as they left, "Cerberus likely to target—"

Before he could finish that sentence, a rocket slammed into the pod, nearly dislodging it. Behind them, a Cerberus shuttle prepared to fire again.

"Blade Seven!" Ryan shouted, pointing at the shuttle.

"Xin make you go boom!" Xin yelled and fired four rockets in quick succession. They slammed into the front of the shuttle, flipping it around before it righted itself. It was a miracle that it was still flying; most of the outer hull was ripped away, and smoke billowed out of the front.

The finishing blow to the shuttle came from Sera, whose high-powered shots ripped into its exposed innards. Something important must have ruptured, because the shuttle exploded a moment later.

"Xin wanted that one," Xin grumbled.

"You may have the next one," Sera assured him, and the Vorcha perked up a little at that.

"Mordin, are you all right?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, we both are," Mordin said, though everyone could see a trickle of blood coming down the side of his head, "Meet us at next checkpoint. Hurry!"

"Let's try to get there before Cerberus this time," Ryan said, taking off at a jog.

A trio of shuttles flew overhead, attempting to deploy more Cerberus troops, but with Shepard's team now at full-strength, and the Blades only missing one member, they would have none of that. Miranda's biotic cannon split one shuttle in half, while Xin's rocket flew into the open hatch of the second one and exploded, killing everyone inside, including the pilot. The shuttle plummeted down and bounced off the side of the cliff that the base was built on. The final shuttle was destroyed by Sera's cannon and a devastating barrage of biotics from every biotics, save for Miranda.

"Like I said, let's not waste time," Ryan said, ignoring the smoking wreckage all around them.

The two teams kept moving, climbing up several flights of stairs. Ryan and Shepard took point, while Miranda, in her lumbering armor, stayed in the rear.

"Hey, Miranda," Garrus said casually from his position near her, "How's the cannon doing? No problems with the implants?"

Miranda shook her helmeted head. "Nothing serious, just a slight headache. The alignment still needs a little calibrating."

"Need any help?" Garrus asked.

"I lost a leg, not brain cells," Miranda said coldly, but then her tone softened. "But I suppose that a second set of eyes couldn't hurt. Thank you."

"Any time," Garrus said.

"Friendly up ahead!" Ryan called out, ruining the moment, but both teams slowed when they saw the Salarian taking cover behind a pillar.

The Salarian, bedecked in black armor and wielding a strange pistol, took in the group's appearance rather well, before nodding at Shepard.

"Commander, hold on a moment," he said, "There are plenty of Cerberus forces just ahead. Let me soften them up for you, then you can rendezvous with Professor Solus."

Shepard had thought that the Salarian looked familiar, but the voice had all but confirmed it.

"Captain Kirrahe?" he asked in disbelief.

The Salarian smiled. "It's 'Major' now. I always hoped we'd work together again."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Ryan said, exasperated, "First Wrex, then Mordin and now this guy; how many people that you've worked with are on this kriffing planet, Shepard!?"

"I'm not complaining," Shepard said, "It's nice to see friends instead of enemies."

"Agreed," Kirrahe said, then stepped around the corner and fired three shots. Instead of bullets, three fist-sized orbs attached to the ground at the feet of several Cerberus troops. A second later, the orbs exploded with truly impressive force.

"How do _I _not have one of those?" Garrus whispered, eyeing the small weapon in disbelief.

"A grenade launcher the size of a pistol?" Ryan gave a low whistle. "Okay, I haven't seen a whole lot in this galaxy that impresses me, but that just made the top ten."

"The rest won't be too far behind them," Kirrahe warned, then held out his hand to Shepard. "I wish we could talk more, Commander, but I have to get back to my unit, and you have to reach the Professor."

Shepard nodded. "Stay safe, Major… and hold the line."

Kirrahe, Liara and Garrus grinned, but everyone else felt that they were missing something. Regardless, they pressed on, plowing through the rest of the Cerberus group in a withering barrage of blaster-fire, bullets and biotics. Miranda finished the last one by crushing his skull with her oversized left hand.

"Okay, I know her nickname now," James said while reloading his Revenant, "It's Hellgirl. The girl version of Hellboy, the demon guy with the giant fist."

Miranda shrugged. "It's better than what people in Cerberus called me."

There were a few more enemies between them and the pod, but immediately, everyone could see that something was wrong. The pod had stopped moving just before it had reached the checkpoint.

As if in answer to the unasked question, Mordin contacted them over the comms. _"Shepard, pod is stuck. Suspect Cerberus has cut power. Need you to reroute emergency systems."_

"Understood." Shepard turned to EDI. "Can you find the emergency systems?"

EDI only nodded and pointed to a panel on the other side of the area.

"Good. You get to work on that; Javik, you, James and Zaeed cover her."

"Everyone else," Ryan said, readying his carbine, "Set up here. Cerberus will probably try to take out the pod while we wait."

While EDI and her group headed to the panel, the rest of them reloaded weapons and got behind cover, save for Miranda, whose armor and shields made cover unnecessary.

"Here they come," Wek said, peering through his scope, "I see troopers, engineers, a couple snipers and at least one of those Phantoms."

"Snipers, take out your counterparts," Ryan ordered, "Everyone else: bring 'em down!"

It was a slaughter. The few troops that weren't sniped by Wek and Garrus or mowed down by Sera and Miranda were blown apart by everyone else. The Phantom, who had managed to dodge the hail of gunfire, accidentally stepped right in front of Bitters. Rather than use Ol' Chopper, the medic grabbed the lightly-armored man by the legs and slammed him bodily into the nearest wall over and over, before grabbing his head and twisting, breaking his neck with a sickening pop.

Bitters stepped back to admire his handiwork, not noticing that several people on both teams had to swallow bile.

Just as EDI finished rerouting power, another Cerberus squad arrived, but with their task done, EDI, Javik, James and Zaeed had rejoined the others and cut their enemies down. Just as the shots' echoes faded, Ryan caught movement out of the corner of his cybernetic eye.

"One more!" he shouted, aiming both his carbine and his pistol. His fire was joined by everyone else on both teams; after five seconds of sustained fire, there wasn't even a bloodstain left.

"Rest in pieces," Ryan said nonchalantly. Shepard resisted the urge to facepalm through his helmet as he cleared the pod for the next area.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Containment shield weakening," Mordin admitted, "Can't take much more."

"I'm not your problem, Commander," the female said in an even tone, "You don't know me, so why are you helping?"

"The better question," Ryan said, "is why are you complaining? We're helping you because the Krogan deserve a better life, and because if we don't work together, we're going to die. Survival for everyone sounds like a good deal to me."

While the Krogan looked down in thought, Shepard looked at Mordin. "How many more checkpoints?"

"Just the landing area," Mordin said, "Hope Urdnot Wrex still waiting."

"He will be," Shepard said confidently, "He's too stubborn to let us down."

The pod was sent on its way, and the two teams were right behind it. Unfortunately, over twenty Cerberus soldiers were already waiting; as soon as they saw the pod, they opened fire.

"Oh no you don't!" Ryan shouted, "Kill these bastards!"

Both sides were too close for a firefight, so it quickly devolved into a chaotic melee. Swords, knives, claws, rifle-butts and even fists were used, but while the Blades and several of Shepard's team could handle hand-to-hand fighting just fine, Cerberus had no such luck. The few that managed to get out of the melee-fighters' range were killed by Wek, Zaeed or Garrus; all three had decided to wait on the outskirts of the brawl in case something like that had happened.

With the infantry dead, Shepard wasted no time heading to the pod's controls to get Mordin and the female to safety. As the procedure commenced, however, a series of loud footsteps caught everyone's attention; around the corner came the lumbering form of an ATLAS mech.

Xin and Sera, the best suited to take it down, raised their weapons, but a hulking form got in their way.

"Payback time, you son of a bitch!" Miranda growled, and fired her biotic cannon; the shot ripped the mech's clawed left arm off and spun the machine around, but didn't kill it. Instead of waiting for her biotics to recharge, Miranda aimed her right arm, still equipped with two Revenants, and hammered the cockpit with a withering barrage. After a few seconds of that, the orange-tinted covering shattered, and the pilot within was torn to pieces.

Garrus walked up to the ex-Cerberus operative and looked first at her, then the remains of the mech.

"Feel better now?" he asked.

"Yes," Miranda replied, satisfied, "Yes, I am."

…

All around the base, the fighting began to die down; the few Cerberus forces that didn't retreat had been killed, save for a few stragglers. The sound of gunfire and screams had been replaced with the crackling of fires and the moaning of the wounded.

_On the plus side, _Ryan thought, as Shepard's shuttle touched down in front of them, _Cerberus failed, and we're one step closer to adding the Krogan to the coalition._

"Anything interesting happen?" Tanith asked as she and Wrex got out of the shuttle.

"Well…" Ryan glanced to the side, where Wek and Soleis were talking quietly to each other. "You missed one hell of a shot."

Tanith followed Ryan's gaze and smiled behind her helmet. "Should I get Wek some Turian-friendly wine, or should we just stay away from whoever's quarters they decide to share?"

"Maybe both," Ryan said, "Seriously, that was the best shot I've ever seen. I'll tell you later, but you might not believe me."

While they talked, Wrex slapped Shepard heartily on the back. "Ha! I knew I shouldn't have worried."

Before Shepard could reply, Wrex stiffened and looked off to the side, where Mordin was busy helping the female Krogan out of the pod. Clutching his shotgun loosely in one hand, Wrex shoved Mordin out of the way and offered his free hand to the female.

"Let's get you out of there," he said in the Krogan equivalent of chivalry.

With slow, dignified grace, the female ignored the proffered hand and walked past, unaided. Even when a pair of injured Cerberus soldiers staggered into the area, she appeared unconcerned, though she moved with surprising speed as she grabbed Wrex's shotgun and blew away both soldiers. She then shoved the gun back into Wrex's startled hands.

"I can handle myself, Wrex," she said sternly, as she headed for the shuttle.

Wrex shook his head. "Women…"

"Come on, Blades," Ryan said, catching his team's attention, "Let's get going. Next stop, Tuchanka!"

**Okay, that's the next chapter! Sorry it took a while, I had college stuff to do, along with a mild case of writer's block. I hope this chapter made up for it, and the next one will have even more.**

**So, things that happened here: Force Team is back, but they won't get a real shining moment until later. Sorry. I wanted to put them in this chapter, but between Shepard's team and the Blades, Cerberus stood no chance.**

**Another thing: Sorry about glossing over Force Team's discovery, but I've realized that it doesn't have too much to do with the direct plot at the moment. It'll become more relevant to the Galactic Alliance than the Blades, so It's more of a subplot. **

**Also, Mordin! I love this guy, and we'll be seeing more of him, I promise. Whether he'll survive this time… *shrugs***

**There was also a little bit of GarrusXMiranda and WekXSoleis. You'll get more as time goes on.**

**Before anyone says anything, I got that 'rest in pieces' bit from 'Expendables 2', which is a guilty pleasure of mine.**

**Next chapter: Big bombs and singing Salarians.**

**Why are you making muffins?**

**Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.**


End file.
